How many people survived the Thredbo landslide?
5 min read
Asked by: Billy Bruno
one survivorone survivor was rescued from under debris more than 60 hours later.
Who survived the Thredbo landslide?
instructor Stuart Diver
After more than 60 hours of excavation a team of firefighters found the sole survivor, 27-year-old ski instructor Stuart Diver, trapped under slabs of concrete. He had spent nearly three days underground with freezing water and mud up to his neck, stuck in rubble next to his wife, Sally, who did not survive.
Who were the victims of the Thredbo landslide?
The victims consisted of:
- Waitress Mary Frances Phillips,
- Ski instructors Michael and Mariam Sodergren,
- Ski slope manager Werner Jecklin,
- Chairlift maintenance crew Oskar Luhn and his partner Aino Senbruns,
- Building maintenance crew Andrew McArthur,
- Caterer Steve Moss,
- Marketing manager Wendy O’Donohue,
How did Stuart Diver survive the Thredbo landslide?
The landslide killed 18 people, one of whom was Diver’s first wife, Sally (née Donald). After 65 hours in sub-zero temperatures with only a small blanket and jacket, Diver was finally pulled from the rubble.
How many people were buried in the Thredbo Australia landslide?
Cold weather, unstable ground hamper rescue effort
A landslide on Wednesday night destroyed two ski lodges and buried 20 people at Thredbo Alpine Village, Australia’s most popular ski resort located in the state of New South Wales, about 400 km (250 miles) south of Sydney. One man’s body was recovered Thursday night.
How long was Stuart Diver buried?
65 freezing hours
Stuart Diver, whose young wife Sally died beside him in the first moments of the slide, had clung to life buried beneath a concrete slab for 65 freezing hours. This is Stuart Diver’s story.
Where is Stuart Diver now?
Thredbo
Now, 24 years later, Diver still lives in the NSW Snowy Mountains town of Thredbo with his 11-year-old daughter Alessia, and is the resort general manager there.
Who was responsible for the Thredbo landslide?
The Coroner’s report released on said that the landslide was caused by water from heavy rain, melting snow and a leaking water main. The landslide hit an eastern wing of one of the lodges first, which caused the nearby land to collapse onto lodges below.
How old is Stuart divers daughter?
Stuart Diver was the sole survivor of the 1997 Thredbo landslide that killed 18 people including his wife Sally. In 2003 Stuart remarried and tragedy struck again when his wife Rosanna was diagnosed with breast cancer. Rosanna died in 2015. Stuart currently lives in Thredbo with his 6 year old daughter Alessia.
How much did the Thredbo landslide cost?
However, over $40 million dollars were spent by the NSW State Government in out-of-court settlements. Immediately after the landslide that took place in Thredbo, there were several visible affects. Erosion played a huge role in damaging the natural environment of the affected area.
When did Stuart Diver meet Rosanna?
Diver found many of the same traits in his second wife, Rosanna Cossettini, a “strong, independent” woman with whom he had a daughter, Alessia. The couple met in 1999 and married three years later, but shortly after they returned from their honeymoon, Rosanna was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Does Australia have avalanches?
Avalanches are typically only a concern in Australia’s alpine regions. These are the southeastern mountain ranges of New South Wales and Victoria (1200 m or more above sea level) and in the Central Plateau of Tasmania (900 m or more above sea level).
What is a famous Avalanche?
List of avalanches by death toll
| Death toll (estimate) | Event | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22,000 | Huascarán avalanche; triggered by the 1970 Ancash earthquake |
| 2 | 2,000−10,000 | White Friday (1916) |
| 3 | 4,000 | Huascarán avalanche |
| 4 | 310 | 2015 Afghanistan avalanches |
How common are avalanches in Australia?
Avalanches are rare in Australia, but recently a large amount of snow has fallen in a short time. In just five days, a metre of fresh snow accumulated on the mountains of Victoria. This has provided once-in-a-decade skiing conditions, but the slopes are not very stable.
Why do avalanches happen?
An avalanche occurs when a layer of snow collapses and slides downhill. Avalanches are caused by four factors: a steep slope, snow cover, a weak layer in the snow cover and a trigger. Roads and railway tracks may be rerouted to reduce risks. Safe avalanches may be triggered in dangerous snow packs.
Can you breathe under snow?
Breathing under snow, e.g. while buried by a snow avalanche, is possible in the presence of an air pocket, but limited in time as hypoxia and hypercapnia rapidly develop.
Can you outrun an avalanche?
An average-sized dry avalanche travels around 80 mph and it’s nearly impossible for someone to outrun an avalanche or even have time to get out of the way.
Do you suffocate in an avalanche?
Most avalanche deaths happen because people suffocate; if you’re uninjured but completely buried under the snow, you have about a 50 percent shot at surviving. But the longer you wait for rescue and the deeper you are buried, the poorer your chances are.
What does dying in an avalanche feel like?
Many survivors describe the terrifying experience as similar to getting hit by a truck, being tumbled inside of a washing machine and then not being able to move at all once the snow settles, said Paige Pagnucco, avalanche education and outreach specialist with the Utah Avalanche Center.
How long can you survive buried under snow?
Most sources say that a person who is completely buried can live for about 18 minutes. Even though snow is porous and contains a lot of trapped oxygen, victims breathe their exhaled air, causing carbon dioxide poisoning.
Can you survive being buried in an avalanche?
If they do not die as a result of trauma by hitting trees and rocks on the way down-around a quarter of avalanche victims die from trauma impact injuries. Completely buried victims begin a desperate race against time, and the statistics show that only 28 percent survive.
What kills you in an avalanche?
If a victim can be rescued within 18 minutes, the survival rate is greater than 91%. The survival rate drops to 34% in burials between 19 and 35 minutes. After one hour, only 1 in 3 victims buried in an avalanche is found alive. The most common causes of death are suffocation, wounds, and hypothermia.
How do you dig someone out of a avalanche?
How To Properly Dig Out An Avalanche Victim
- The A stands for airway. The basic idea of this is that once the probe hits the victim, it creates an airway. …
- B means to determine the burial depth. …
- C stands for clearing the snow to the sides. …
- Lastly, D stands for dig only once. …
- Photo credit: Dreamstime.
