Five Mt. Slamet climbers die: Five members of a nine-person

Five Mt. Slamet climbers die: Five members of a nine-person climbing expedition attempting to scale Mt. Slamet (3,428m) in Central Java were found dead at an elevation of about 3,000 meters above sea level on Thursday morning. Quoting his officers sent to evacuate the victims, Banyumas police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Sukamto Handoko told The Jakarta Post that three other climbers were in a critical condition. He did not mention the fate of the ninth climber. Sukamto said the climbers might have died due to the freezing temperatures and rainstorms at the top of the mountain. The climbers, six locals and three from Yogyakarta, had been climbing since Monday. -- JP