3 die in North Cascades National Park climbing fall

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NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK, Wash. (AP) — Three climbers from suburban Seattle were killed in a fall over the weekend in North Cascades National Park, sheriff's officials said.

Sheriff’s personnel and county search and rescue volunteers responded to the accident late Sunday morning about 16 miles (26 kilometers) west of Mazama in an area of rock formations that are popular with climbers, the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post Monday.

A party of four climbers from Renton was involved in the fall while descending a steep gully in the area of North Early Winters Spire. The post said three people ages 36, 47 and 63, died at the scene.

The fourth person sustained internal bleeding and a traumatic brain injury in the fall but freed himself, walked to his car and drove to a pay phone to call for help, Okanogan County Undersheriff David Yarnell told The Seattle Times. The man was then taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

“He didn’t realize he had as significant of internal injuries as he did,” Yarnell said. His current condition is not known.

A helicopter rescue team from nearby Snohomish County helped recover the bodies from the technical, mountainous terrain.

Anchor failure while rappelling is the presumed cause of the accident, the post said. An investigation is ongoing.