I have seen nothing that even mentions whether or not this party was "lite," heavy, or in between. Didn't we have a recent thread about the decline of news coverage, especially its accuracy? Apparently that doesn't hinder rushing to judgment about this situation...

It is worth mentioning that this is one of the kinds of situations where a PLB, SEND, etc. is not necessarily all that useful. When you embark on challenging terrain and throw in bad weather, rescue is not going to happen quickly, if at all. You simply must depend upon your own resources.

Let us hope for a good outcome, although it certainly doesn't seem likely.