New Zealand Rescuers

A woman who suffered severe burns after falling into a sinkhole of scalding steam at a New Zealand tourist site has spoken publicly about her ordeal, thanking rescuers as she recovers in hospital.

Rescuers were racing Monday to save dozens of pilot whales that beached on a stretch of New Zealand coast notorious for mass strandings, wildlife officials said.

Six beached whales were successfully refloated off New Zealand today, rescuers said, after a spate of mass strandings in recent days that resulted in the deaths of dozens of marine mammals.

A climber trapped for seven days in freezing conditions on a New Zealand mountain has been found in the nick of time, with rescuers saying he was unlikely to have survived another night alone.

New Zealand authorities were cutting holes in 300 whale carcasses on Monday, popping the dead animals "like balloons", to avoid them exploding as they decompose on Golden Bay after more than 600 whales became stranded.

Rescuers found no newly stranded whales Monday on a notorious stretch of New Zealand's coastline where hundreds of marine mammals died after beaching themselves last week, conservation officials said.

Whale rescuers were cautiously optimistic on Sunday that the current wave of mass beachings in New Zealand was over, after hundreds of the creatures died after being stranded ashore.

Another 200 whales were stranded on a New Zealand coastline late Saturday, frustrating rescuers who had battled through the day and even defied a shark threat to try and keep them at sea.

Whale rescuers in New Zealand linked arms in neck-deep water on Saturday to try and prevent about 200 pilot whales from stranding themselves again in a remote bay, where 300 of the animals died this week.

Specialist alpine rescuers battled through atrocious weather Sunday to reach a helicopter crash site where seven people, including four English and two Australian tourists, were killed in New Zealand.

A group of 22 pilot whales died Thursday when they re-stranded on a New Zealand beach less than a day after rescuers had shepherded them back out to sea, officials said.

Rescuers saved 21 pilot whales that stranded on a New Zealand beach but 36 of the animals died, conservation officials said Wednesday.

Seven long-finned pilot whales died after being beached in New Zealand, but rescuers were confident today they had saved the other 18 marine mammals that stranded.

A woman who suffered severe burns after falling into a sinkhole of scalding steam at a New Zealand tourist site has spoken publicly about her ordeal, thanking rescuers as she recovers in hospital.

Rescuers were racing Monday to save dozens of pilot whales that beached on a stretch of New Zealand coast notorious for mass strandings, wildlife officials said.

Six beached whales were successfully refloated off New Zealand today, rescuers said, after a spate of mass strandings in recent days that resulted in the deaths of dozens of marine mammals.

A climber trapped for seven days in freezing conditions on a New Zealand mountain has been found in the nick of time, with rescuers saying he was unlikely to have survived another night alone.

New Zealand authorities were cutting holes in 300 whale carcasses on Monday, popping the dead animals "like balloons", to avoid them exploding as they decompose on Golden Bay after more than 600 whales became stranded.

Rescuers found no newly stranded whales Monday on a notorious stretch of New Zealand's coastline where hundreds of marine mammals died after beaching themselves last week, conservation officials said.

Whale rescuers were cautiously optimistic on Sunday that the current wave of mass beachings in New Zealand was over, after hundreds of the creatures died after being stranded ashore.

Another 200 whales were stranded on a New Zealand coastline late Saturday, frustrating rescuers who had battled through the day and even defied a shark threat to try and keep them at sea.

Whale rescuers in New Zealand linked arms in neck-deep water on Saturday to try and prevent about 200 pilot whales from stranding themselves again in a remote bay, where 300 of the animals died this week.

Specialist alpine rescuers battled through atrocious weather Sunday to reach a helicopter crash site where seven people, including four English and two Australian tourists, were killed in New Zealand.

A group of 22 pilot whales died Thursday when they re-stranded on a New Zealand beach less than a day after rescuers had shepherded them back out to sea, officials said.

Rescuers saved 21 pilot whales that stranded on a New Zealand beach but 36 of the animals died, conservation officials said Wednesday.

Seven long-finned pilot whales died after being beached in New Zealand, but rescuers were confident today they had saved the other 18 marine mammals that stranded.