Daijiworld Media Network - Washington State

Washington State, May 13: A tragic rock climbing accident claimed the lives of three climbers and left one injured on May 11 in the North Cascades near North Early Winters Spire, authorities in Okanogan County confirmed.

The group was rappelling down a steep gulley when their anchor failed, causing them to plummet approximately 200 feet down a vertical rock face, followed by another 200 feet across a snow-covered chute, according to Undersheriff David Yarnell.

The surviving climber, who sustained injuries, hiked back to their car and drove 60 miles to Newhalem, where they found a pay phone to call for help. Emergency crews responded around 11:30 a.m. and later recovered the bodies of the deceased climbers.

The victims, all from Renton, Washington, were aged 36, 47, and 63. Their identities have not yet been publicly released.

Yarnell told reporters that the group had decided to descend due to deteriorating weather when the fatal fall occurred. The incident underscores the risks climbers face in the rugged and often unpredictable terrain of the North Cascades.