Body of 3rd climber killed in avalanche near Leavenworth has been recovered

3 presumed dead in avalanche near Leavenworth

According to the Northwest Avalanche Center (NWAC), the avalanche happened on Feb. 19 at Colchuck Peak, southwest of Leavenworth. There were six people in the group of backcountry travelers.

LEAVENWOTH, Wash. - The body of the third and final climber killed in an avalanche on Washington’s Colchuck Peak earlier this year has been recovered, officials said.

A hiker on Thursday found the body of Yun Park, a 66-year-old man from Palisades Park, New Jersey, and reported it to the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office. A helicopter rescue team recovered the body Friday.

Park and two other climbers were killed Feb. 19 as they ascended a steep, snow-packed gulley on the 8,705-foot Colchuck Peak, about 70 miles east of Seattle, amid risky avalanche conditions. A fourth member of the party suffered only minor injuries when caught up in the avalanche and was able to hike down.

One of the victims, Seong Cho, 54, a Korean citizen residing in West Hartford, Connecticut, was located days later. The body of 60-year-old Jeannie Lee, of Bayside, New York, was recovered in late May.

The three were part of a New York-based climbing club, officials said at the time of the avalanche.