Three climbers have died, with a fourth being miraculously rescued after they tragically fell during a climb of America's tallest mountain. As reported by the New York Post, the incident occurred on Thursday, May 28.
The mountaineering expedition consisted of seven people from Latvia. They were aiming to climb North America's tallest peak, Mt. Denali, which was formerly known as Mt. McKinley.
The climbers decided to travel on what has previously been described as a "treacherous" route. They were traversing the West Buttress Route and were on the Denali Pass when four members of the group tragically fell.
The three members of the group who didn't fall tried their best to help them before returning to camp. They were stationed at High Camp, which is the last stop before the summit of the mountain. It sits at around 17,000 ft, which is around 3,000 ft away from the peak. The peak sits at 20,310 ft.
After what the outlet described as a "desperate" rescue mission, a climber was found. According to an update from the National Park Service, the surviving climber was rescued from around 17,200 ft.
Rescue operatives needed to use a long-line extraction rather than a helicopter due to adverse weather conditions.
The NPS added that "operations for the three remaining climbers have transitioned from a search and rescue mission to a recovery effort. The National Park Service does not release information about fatality victims until 72 hours after next-of-kin notification."
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The Mountain Is Well-Known for Being Dangerous for Climbers
Given Mt. Denali's status as the highest peak in North America, it often attracts ambitious climbers from across the world. However, its high peaks mean that there are many dangers, especially on the more rough routes.
According to Explore7Summits, there are numerous dangers that climbers need to be acutely aware of. They note that "the obvious crevasses and avalanches" are an obvious issue.
However, other issues are less obvious. Things like heavy snowfall and carbon monoxide, which especially affect Denali, are things that climbers don't often worry about. But they can be just as deadly.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who tragically died, as well as the recovering climber.
