A mountain climber miraculouly survived after falling 600 metres (1,968 ft) from the side of Mount Taranaki in New Zealand and only had minor injuries. Police said that the climber was "exceptionally lucky to be alive", BBC reported.
According to the police, the climber fell from the mountain on the North Island, but managed to survive after the snow softened his fall in the spring weather. The distance he fell was equivalent to Saudi Arabia's Makkah Clock Royal Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the world.
The incident occurred on September 9. The man was part of a mountaineering group that decided to scale Mount Taranaki - which has garnered a reputation for being one of the deadliest mountains of New Zealand.
Eventually, the climber was located by a member of the Taranaki Alpine Rescue who was coincidentally climbing that day. "Having watched their fellow climber slide down the mountain and out of view, another member of the group climbed down to try and locate them," said police.
Mount Taranaki's deadly reputation
Mount Taranaki is a 2,518-metre-tall dormant volcano on North Zealand's North Island. Two years ago, two mountaineers plunged to their deaths from the exact spot from which this climber fell on September 9.
"Its isolation from other mountains, proximity to the coastline, and geographic position make for some of the most fast-changing and adverse weather conditions found anywhere in New Zealand," said the Mountain Safety Council about Mount Taranaki.
Although instances of climbers surviving major falls without much injury is not unheard of, very few people have fallen off at a such a steep height as this man in New Zealand. A mountaineer once survived a 400-metre fall in Canada's 3,423-metre-tall Mount Lefroy.
Last month, a 13-year-old boy miraculously survived after he reportedly plunged nearly 100-feet from a ledge from the north rim of the Grand Canyon, located in the state of Arizona in the United States, during a family trip.
ALSO READ | US: 13-year-old boy miraculously survives after falling nearly 100-feet in Grand Canyon
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