The lone survivor of a deadly avalanche in Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park this morning has spoken of the tragedy.
"I'm absolutely broken," said Jo Morgan, mother of Trade Me founder Sam and wife of well known public figure Gareth Morgan, after the incident on Mt Hicks.
"Two of my very dear friends lost their lives today, under tragic circumstances, I just got really lucky."
She said they hit a slope that was unstable.
"We were tied together and I survived. They were buried and I was buried but had my face out so I could breathe."
Mrs Morgan dug her way out and set off an emergency locator beacon to get help around 6am.
Department of Conservation (DOC) director general Lou Sanson described her actions as a "textbook recovery".
After setting off for the Mt Hicks' peak soon after 2am, the avalanche struck at 5.30am as the group was ascending.
"So really it's just a very sad time for the climbing community and I just feel very lucky that I've survived and through nothing more than luck probably."
The bodies of two male guides have now been recovered.
1 NEWS has been told the avalanche was the size of three tennis courts.
A fellow mountain guide and friend of the avalanche victims described it as a tragedy.
"There’s still a lot of disbelief surrounding it," they told 1 NEWS.
“I’m devastated. These are people I’ve worked with closely, they’re friends, and this is going to be hard to recover from. They’re both highly respected, qualified guides with a lot of experience between them. They’re not flippant, they’re very tuned into making safety calls and the right decisions."
They said Mt Hicks was "very serious terrain" where things can go wrong.
Mrs Morgan has now returned to Christchurch, where she was met by family.
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