Chinese student dead during hike in Australia's Tasmania

A 21-year-old Chinese student has been confirmed dead during hike in Australia's Tasmania island, according to official from the Chinese Consulate- General in Melbourne and latest local police news release.

Official from Chinese Consulate-General in Melbourne confirmed on Monday the death of the young man, who studied in Melbourne, saying that they are trying to get in touch with the parents and arrange the aftermath.

Tasmania's police said that they were called to assist with medical emergencies in the Cradle Mountain National Park on Thursday evening, when a 21-year-old Chinese student died on the northern end of the Overland Track known as the cirque, located in Tasmania's Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park.

The deceased and two other students set out into the famous bush walking area on Thursday morning, but they encountered a sudden temperature drop when strong winds accompanied with heavy rains started to pick up soon after setout.

Police said the student fell ill and initial investigations suggest that he may have suffered from hypothermia.

Meanwhile, early indications are that the group was not sufficiently equipped to undertake the multi-day hike.

Inspector Kim Steven from Tasmania said that anyone considering walking in the Tasmania wilderness is encouraged to conduct research and prepare adequately as weather conditions in these areas can change very quickly.

"With the winds averaging around the 60-kilometer-an hour mark and possibly higher at times and that in combination with the heavy rain that was very persistent for a period of at least 12 or 18 hours, those conditions were quite conducive to hypothermia," he said.

The Overland Track is one of Australia's world famous walking tracks, which attracted 8,000 walkers each year to complete the hike.

It was the second death in the park on the same day, a 68-year- old man from New South Wales had a heart attack in the Marion's Lookout area.