A coroner has called for access to two West Coast glaciers to be restricted after two Australian brothers were crushed to death on Fox Glacier last year.
Regional coroner Richard McElrea described the deaths of Ashish Miranda, 24, an aerospace engineer, and Akshay Miranda, 22, student, as an "unthinkable tragedy", The Press reported.
The brothers were treating their parents to a trip to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary when they were crushed to death at Fox Glacier on January 8, 2009.
In his findings the coroner said the brothers ignored warning signs, and their actions seemed "predetermined" as other people - probably some guiding groups - were beyond safety barriers in the open riverbed area.
He recommended Conservation Minister Kate Wilkinson "take steps" to create bylaws to restrict or close public access to the terminal face of Fox and Franz Josef glaciers.
Anyone who breached the bylaws could be instantly fined.
A Department of Conservation (DOC) spokesman said the recommendations would be examined, but it was too early to say if they would be implemented.
NZPA