Avalanche survivor aids in search for victims

Avalanche survivor aidsin search for victims
PROVO, Utah -- J.D. Settle was panicked -- buried by an avalanche, he frantically dug himself out, only to be slammed by another wave of snow that left him trapped up to his neck in Provo Canyon. Two days later, he joined rescuers searching for his three friends who perished in that same avalanche.
The body of Mike Hebert, 19, of Orem was found in 4 feet of snow Sunday afternoon in Provo Canyon. He was identified by his driver's license and cell phone, which were with the body, Utah County Sheriff Jim Tracy said. Hebert's relatives were at the scene and were notified shortly after the discovery.
Officials said a snowstorm that hit the area Sunday night and early today would prevent the search for Adam Merz, 18, of Orem and Rod Newberry, 20, of Pleasant Grove from resuming today.
Settle, Hebert, Merz and Newberry were among five snowboarders swept away Friday by the avalanche, in a remote area with no avalanche control about 25 miles northeast of Provo and a mile north of Sundance ski resort. Settle and a fifth man survived.
China SARS investigation
BEIJING -- The World Health Organization sent a four-member team to southern China today to help investigate a suspected SARS case, while state press reports said none of the 42 people quarantined after having contact with the patient has shown symptoms.
The WHO experts will help Chinese experts double-check test results on the hospitalized man and track down anyone else who might have had contact with him, said Dr. Julie Hall, the SARS team leader for WHO's Beijing office.
The patient, a 32-year-old television producer, is hospitalized in Guangdong province, where severe acute respiratory syndrome first emerged in 2002.
China's prompt announcement Saturday of the suspected case -- its first since July -- and its collaboration with WHO are in contrast to the earlier outbreak, when Beijing was criticized for its sluggish response and failure to respond to pleas for information and cooperation.
"This case at the moment has clinical symptoms that would fit SARS, but at the same time, his pneumonia could be explained by many other different disorders," Hall said.
Hunting for Mars probe
LONDON -- Scientists trying to find Europe's Beagle 2 Mars probe ruled out weather problems and a faulty onboard clock for its five-day silence but considered a new possibility -- a crater that may be blocking its signal.
A new, detailed picture of the area of Mars where the Beagle 2 is thought to have landed revealed a crater a little more than a half-mile wide. It is possible -- although unlikely -- that the Beagle may be unable to communicate because it landed inside, chief Beagle scientist Colin Pillinger said at a news conference today.
Several attempts to contact the Beagle 2 so far have failed five days after it was to descend to Mars. NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has passed four times over the spot where scientists hope Beagle landed without picking up a signal. Pillinger did not reveal the results of another overflight that happened at 2:40 a.m. EST today, while he was speaking.
The 143-pound probe, which has a robotic arm to take soil and rock samples, was supposed to unfold its solar panels and transmit a signal confirming its arrival within hours of landing Christmas Day.
Associated Press