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Idaho man killed by falling ice in Alaska national park

Alaska Climber Killed
Posted at 7:48 PM, May 14, 2021
and last updated 2021-05-14 19:49:11-04

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A climber was killed and another injured when they were hit by a falling block of glacier ice in Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve.

The hanging serac dislodged from a peak of the West Fork of the Ruth Glacier.

A park spokesperson says the accident happened as the two were hiking peaks on the southern flank of Denali, the continent's tallest mountain.

The ice hit them Thursday as they began to climb the west face of Reality Ridge.

A 31-year-old man from Logan, Utah, was knocked unconscious.

When he awoke, he found his climbing partner dead.

The dead man has been identified as a 32-year-old man from Rigby, Idaho.

The survivor was able to call for help around 6 a.m. from a satellite communications device and was able to move out of the debris area to a safe location to await rescue, the Associated Press reported.

By 7 a.m., two mountain rangers arrived by helicopter and he was transported to a local hospital.

The remains of the other climber will be recovered when conditions allow crews access to the body.