Three Latvian climbers fell to their deaths on Mount McKinley in Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve, while a fourth member of their party survived and was rescued, a mountaineering organization in Latvia reported.
The National Park Service said four members of a seven-person expedition fell on Wednesday in the area of Denali Pass, about 2,100 feet (640.1 metres) below the 20,310-foot summit of McKinley, North America’s tallest peak. The Park Service reported that the survivor was rescued on Thursday from a mountain basin at 17,200 feet and was later moved to an air ambulance for transport to a hospital.
In an online statement, the Park Service said operations for the three remaining climbers "have transitioned from a search and rescue mission to a recovery effort." The agency added that it does not release information about fatality victims until 72 hours after next-of-kin notification. The Park Service provided limited additional detail and did not identify the nationality of the climbers in its statement.
The Latvian Mountaineering Association named the three deceased climbers as Inese Puceka, Vija Olte, and Renars Kunigs-Salaks, according to a Latvian-to-English translation of the group’s statement on its website. The association described the losses as "an indescribably painful and irreversible loss for the entire Latvian climbing community."
The group also identified the fourth climber who fell as Mārtiņš Bilzēns and said he was in critical condition. The Park Service said three other expedition members, who were not injured in the accident, returned safely to a camp on the mountain after tending to their fallen partners.
The Latvian Mountaineering Association said the three uninjured climbers planned to descend from a 17,000-foot-level camp with assistance from rescuers.
Denali is known to locals and Alaska Natives by the Athabascan name meaning "the high one." The peak was officially named in 1917 in honor of William McKinley, the 25th U.S. president, who was assassinated in 1901. President Barack Obama in 2015 officially renamed the peak Denali, noting that McKinley had never visited the mountain and lacked any significant historical connection to the mountain or Alaska. Last year, the Trump administration reinstated McKinley as the mountain’s official name.
What happened
Four climbers from a seven-member party fell near Denali Pass, roughly 2,100 feet below the summit. One climber was rescued from a basin at about 17,200 feet and flown by air ambulance to a hospital; three other climbers were later confirmed dead.
Operational response
- The National Park Service led the initial search and rescue response and later shifted to a recovery operation for the three deceased climbers.
- The agency follows a policy of not releasing fatality victim information until 72 hours after next-of-kin notifications are complete.
- Rescuers assisted surviving members of the expedition in plans to descend from their high camp.
Community reaction
The Latvian Mountaineering Association called the deaths an "indescribably painful and irreversible loss" and provided the names of the three climbers who died. The association also reported that the fourth member who fell was in critical condition.