Associated Press
MOUNT BAKER — Two injured people who spent the night on Mount Baker were taken to the hospital Monday after a fall that killed a fellow climber.
A group of four climbers, all from Vancouver, British Columbia, slid 100 to 200 feet before falling into a crevasse Sunday morning at the 8,600-foot level of Coleman Glacier on the western flank of the 10,775-foot peak, the Whatcom County sheriff’s office said.
A man who suffered a back injury was carried down the mountain on a stretcher. A woman with an injured ankle was able to walk down the mountain. They were taken to St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham.
The two were being evaluated, but were in stable condition, a nursing supervisor said.
The body of the climber who was killed remained on the glacier Monday. The person’s name was not released.
A 42-year-old man with a broken wrist was able to hike to help and got off the mountain Sunday.
The group was able to get out of the crevasse and called for help on a cell phone.
Three passing climbers unsuccessfully tried to administer CPR to a man who had stopped breathing.
Whatcom County search and rescue crews and personnel aboard a helicopter from the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station located the group Sunday but the chopper was unable to land because of the high altitude.
Rescuers took the two seriously injured people part of the way down the mountain but camped overnight, the sheriff’s office said. Low clouds and fog kept helicopters on the ground Monday morning.
More than 40 volunteers helped with the rescue.
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