KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Five Russian mountaineers who appeared to have slipped and fallen on the world’s seventh-highest peak have died, an expedition organizer in Nepal said Tuesday.
The Russians were climbing 8,167-meters (26,788-foot) high Mount Dhaulagiri during Nepal's autumn climbing season.
The climbers had been reported missing since Sunday and a rescue helicopter spotted their bodies on Tuesday, said Pemba Jangbu Sherpa of the Kathmandu-based I AM Trekking and Expeditions.
No decision has been made about bringing the bodies down from the mountain, which would require extensive planning, manpower and equipment.
Two of the climbers had actually reached the summit. The remaining had returned without reached the top. Radio contact was lost between them and the team members at the base camp. .
The autumn climbing season, which is not as popular as the spring season, began last month. Mountains are less crowded and the permit fees are also lower.
Other details were not available.
FILE -The Dhaulagiri Range, on the left and the Annapurna Range, on the right of the central Himalayas is seen as trekkers view the sweeping sunrise from Poon Hill, above the village of Ghorepani, in central Nepal, Oct. 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Malcolm Foster, File)
SPRINGDALE, Utah (AP) — A canyoneer died in Zion National Park after falling between 150 and 200 feet near the the Upper Emerald Pool in southwest Utah, according to the National Park Service.
The 40-year-old man, whose identity has not been released, was rappelling through Heaps Canyon with three others on Saturday evening when he fell to his death. The group was following its permitted itinerary through the long and physically demanding canyon when the fall occurred.
Zion National Park and the Washington County Sheriff’s Office are still investigating the exact cause of the man’s death. But the National Park Service confirmed on Sunday that it was accidental.
After receiving a report of the fall, Zion’s search and rescue team arrived on site with officers from the sheriff's department and tried to save the man’s life. The Utah Department of Public Safety then extracted the man by helicopter to the Watchman Campground area, and he received additional medical attention from other local authorities.
He was pronounced dead before he could be airlifted to a hospital, park officials said.
“Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family and friends during this unimaginably difficult time,” said Zion National Park Superintendent Jeff Bradybaugh.
Public safety officials extracted two of the three remaining canyoneers by helicopter on Sunday. Zion’s search and rescue team helped the third person rappel down the canyon to safety that afternoon.
FILE - Zion National Park near Springdale, Utah, is pictured on Sept. 15, 2015. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
