Three climbers have died after they fell hundreds of feet on to jagged rock, while the survival of one man in the group is being called “miraculous”.
Vishnu Irigireddy, 48, Tim Nguyen, 63, Oleksander Martynenko, 36, died while climbing down a steep gully on the 7,800ft Early Winters Spire peaks in Washington state on Sunday.
Their fall was likely caused by a “weathered” piton, which is a metal spike serving as an anchor used to slow the descent down a steep mountainside, tearing from the rock, the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office said.
The fourth climber, Anton Tselykh, 38, from Seattle, miraculously survived, despite also plummeting 200ft on to jagged rock and tumbling another 200ft before coming to rest in a tangle of ropes and climbing equipment.
He suffered internal bleeding and severe head trauma, which caused him to pass out until around 10pm, hours after the estimated time of the fall, police said.
He managed to untangle himself before “crawling and feeling around in nearly pitch darkness” to find his way back to his car, Okanogan County Undersheriff David Yarnell told Sky News’ US partner NBC News.
Mr Tselykh drove west over the mountain range and collided with a guardrail on the way, falling unconscious, before finally reaching a pay phone to call for help.
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His survival “is miraculous to say the least,” Mr Yarnell said.
Mr Tselykh is being treated in a Seattle hospital and is in “satisfactory condition”, according to a hospital spokesperson.
The bodies of the three climbers have since been recovered, locating them via a GPS device in their kit.
Police said the three men had suffered massive leg and cranial traumas.
Authorities believe the group had been ascending the north Early Winters Spire peak when they decided to reverse course due to an approaching storm.
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The Early Winters Spires in the Northern Cascades consist of two 7,800ft peaks, which are popular with climbers.
The route the group was taking was of moderate difficulty and sees climbers moving between ice, snow and rock, according to a local guide, who cautioned that conditions can change rapidly depending on the weather.
