Last respects for mountain fall hero

Mourners gathered today for the funeral of a Belfast doctor who died saving his girlfriend’s life in a mountain climbing accident.

Dr Donal Deery died from his injuries after falling 250 metres down a ravine and landing in a rocky gully in the Southern Alps in New Zealand.

The 29-year-old was hailed a hero by local police after trying to stop his girlfriend falling when she slipped in icy conditions on their way down a mountain.

Dr Deery, who was an experienced climber, died in the last ditch effort to save his girlfriend, Helen McClements, from the horrific fall.

The pair were part of a three-strong group that climbed the 1,800m Saddle, in the Mt Aspiring National Park in the Southern Alps, camped overnight and begun their descent the following day.

Local police said the heroic Dr Deery dived on his girlfriend to halt her slide as she slipped through the snow down the steep mountainside.

The pair were flung into a tight, rocky gully where Dr Deery bore the brunt of the impact.

Ms McClements, 25, from Bangor, Co Down, survived the fall but was seriously injured and spent several days in hospital.

Dr Deery’s father, Francis, said his son would never have considered himself a hero for trying to help her.

Family and friends gathered at St Vincent de Paul Church on the Ligoniel Road in north Belfast for the funeral before leaving for a burial service in Glenavy cemetery, Co Antrim.

Police said the climbers were not fully prepared for the icy conditions and did not have the necessary equipment to safely negotiate the mountains.

A New Zealand police rescue team in Wanaka recovered the body of Dr Deery a week after he fell into the ravine. Efforts to recover his body failed due to strong winds and snowstorms.

The young doctor was supposed to have travelled home in February for his sister’s wedding before returning to Christchurch to work in a hospital for a year.