Three Climbers Killed in North Cascades National Park Fall
Three climbers from suburban Seattle died over the weekend in a fall in North Cascades National Park, The Associated Press reports.
The accident occurred late Sunday morning about 16 miles west of Mazama, in a rugged area of popular climbing formations near North Early Winters Spire, according to a social media post Monday by the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials said the group of four climbers, all from Renton, was descending a steep gully when the incident happened. Three members of the group — ages 36, 47, and 63 — were killed at the scene.
The fourth climber sustained internal bleeding and a traumatic brain injury but managed to extricate himself, walk to his car, and drive to a nearby pay phone to call for help, Okanogan County Undersheriff David Yarnell told The Seattle Times. He was later taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. His current condition remains unknown.
“He didn’t realize he had as significant of internal injuries as he did,” Yarnell said.
A helicopter team from Snohomish County assisted in recovering the bodies from the challenging mountain terrain.
