A body that is believed to be missing hiker Daryl Fong’s has been found by Tasmania Police in Mount Field National Park, following a week long search.
Fong went missing on 11 October, after he set out for a solo day hike to take pictures. The 30-year-old then texted his housemate on Sunday 12 October at 3am, letting him know that he would find shelter and stay overnight in the park.
Police Inspector Luke Horn said the the body was found at 6pm on Tuesday and thanked search crews.
“I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all search crews, particularly the volunteers, who worked tirelessly in these extreme conditions,” he said.
Search crews began looking for Fong on 13 October, but were slowed down or even stopped at times, due to harsh weather conditions. The park, approximately an hour’s drive north-west of Hobart, often has snowy weather. This led to multiple stoppages, including preventing Westpac’s Rescue Helicopter from taking off.
Police described the weather conditions as “extremely challenging” and said that search crews battled poor visibility, waist-deep snow and gale-force winds.
A report will be prepared for the coroner, but his death is not being treated as suspicious.
Photo: Mount Field National Park by Jburke94 found HERE and used under a Creative Commons licence. This image has been modified.
