New details have been revealed in the case of the missing California climber after he died following an "unsurvivable" fall. As reported by the New York Post, 53-year-old Brian Seibert was hiking up Mount Morgan Couloir when the tragic accident happened.
The Mono County Sheriff's Office responded after the hiker "failed to return as expected" on around 11:30pm on Monday, October 5. It was later reported that Seibert had sent a message around 7pm on October 4 saying that he was on his way down from the hike.
Mono County Search and Rescue explained how they found the missing hiker. "Just after 1400 hours [on Tuesday, Oct. 6] the Schooner crew identified an anomaly from the air near the bottom of Grand Central Couloir." The Couloir "is a prominent east-facing gully off of the summit proper."
Another team ended up finding his body as they were close to the "anomaly".
"Due to the extremely challenging nature of the terrain between Brian's location and the nearest landing zone... It was determined that there would be insufficient time to safely complete the recovery that [Tuesday]." Seibert's body was later recovered on Wednesday, October 7.
Videos by Wide Open Country
This Isn't the First Hiker Tragedy in Recent Times
Unfortunately, it seems like these hiker tragedies are becoming all too common. Back in July, 44-year-old Caio Rocha Aguiar Arrabal fell 500 feet after tripping whilst taking a photo.
We reported on it when it happened - he was hiking on the Pedra do Macaco trail in Brazil. The hiker was leading a group hike, despite "not being a licensed tour guide".
Following the tragic fall, rescue operatives described the conditions they endured to find him. "We had to go in through a densely wooded area with extremely difficult access to reach him," Matheus Moura, a firefighter, explained.
"We had to climb, ascend using ropes, and carry out several procedures before getting to the site." After getting there, "despite the efforts employed by the firefighters, the victim did not survive the injuries and death was confirmed."
Our thoughts and prayers go out to both men who died. May they rest in peace.
