This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com
A rock climbing trip in Washington’s North Cascades turned deadly late Saturday morning, resulting in the deaths of three climbers with a fourth person injured, KIRO Newsradio confirmed.
According to the Okanagan County Sheriff’s Office, a group from Renton was descending into a steep gully when they fell. Investigators believe the fall was caused by a failure in the anchor system used during their rappel.
Previous Coverage: Climbers killed in North Cascades rappelling fall identified; survivor escapes to get help
“A group of four climbers was involved in a fall while descending a route,” Christina Woodworth, search and rescue coordinator for the Okanagan County Sheriff’s Office, told KIRO Newsradio. “Unfortunately, three of them were confirmed deceased at the site of the accident, and the fourth member of the party was able to self-extricate and contact law enforcement.”
Three of the climbers were from Renton, while the fourth was from Bellevue.
The accident happened around 11:30 a.m. near North Early Winters Spire, a rugged granite formation about 16 miles west of Mazama, just off State Route 20 (SR 20). Professionals tend to prefer the location because of its steep and challenging terrain.
“They were descending and had an anchor failure while repelling, and so that’s what caused all of them to fall together,” Woodworth said. “They were clipped into some sort of equipment, and it was not able to hold their weight, and it failed.”
Anchor failure suspected in fatal climbing fall
After the deadly fall, one member of the group managed to escape and call for help.
The surviving member of the climbing party, Anton Tselykh, 38, survived the 400-foot fall, suffering from internal bleeding and head trauma. Despite the injuries, he walked more than 12 hours to find a pay phone to call for help, according to the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office.
Rescue crews, including the Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team, later recovered the bodies of the three dead climbers. The Okanogan County Coroner’s Office identified the deceased as Vishnu Irigireddy, 48, of Renton; Tim Nguyen, 63, of Renton; and Oleksander Martynenko, 36, of Bellevue.
Law enforcement said an investigation into the exact cause of the anchor failure is ongoing.
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