Denali Fall Kills 3 Latvian Climbers as Rescuers Airlift 1 Survivor From 17,200 Feet
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 1
Denali Fall Kills 3 Latvian Climbers as Rescuers Airlift 1 Survivor From 17,200 Feet
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 1
Summary
National Park Service crews extracted Mārtiņš Bilzēns from a 17,200-foot basin after the Wednesday fall near Denali Pass left three Latvian climbers dead and him critically injured.
Terrain and weather blocked a helicopter landing, forcing rescuers to use a long-line system before moving him to Kahiltna Base Camp and then a hospital.
Three other members of the seven-person expedition, who had helped their partners after the fall, returned to High Camp but were later evacuated Friday after their condition deteriorated.
Recovery of the three bodies is still underway because access near Denali Pass remains limited by mountain conditions on one of the peak's most dangerous sections.
Denali rises 20,310 feet, draws about 1,000 to 1,200 summit attempts a year, and has recorded more than 130 deaths in the park's history.