Climber dies, 7 others rescued on Oregon's Mount Hood

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PORTLAND, Ore.  — One climber is dead but seven other people were rescued, the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.

More than a half-dozen had been climbing near Mount Hood's peak on Tuesday when they encountered tumbling rocks and falling ice. One climber fell 700 feet from a spot near the summit of Oregon's tallest mountain; he was airlifted to the hospital, but declared dead there. A group of three or four climbers provided aid for more than an hour before help arrived.

Authorities said Tuesday night that all of the other climbers who had been stranded on Oregon's tallest mountain had been brought down safe.

The Clackamas County Sheriff's Office says rescuers assisted three climbers to safety.

The sheriff's office says rescuers used a sled and a rope system to bring down a woman who said she was unable to move. Steve Rollins of Portland Mountain Rescue said the woman arrived at the Timberline Lodge just before 8 p.m.

The other climbers made it down on their own.

The lodge sits at about 6,000 feet.

 

Mount Hood is Oregon's tallest peak and attracts more than 10,000 climbers a year. The peak is notorious for loose rocks in warm weather, and the sun has been out this week.