(OKANOGAN COUNTY, WA) — Three people are dead, and another is injured after falling off of a mountain in a climbing accident involving a suspected failed anchor while they were rappelling, police said.
The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office, along with Okanogan County Search and Rescue volunteers, received a call at approximately 11:30 a.m. on Sunday about a climbing accident in the area of North Early Winters Spire off of State Route 20 — approximately 16 miles west of Mazama, Washington, according to a statement from the Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office.
“A party of four climbers from Renton, WA, were involved in a fall while descending a steep gully,” police said. “Three individuals were confirmed deceased at the accident site. The fourth member of the party self-extricated and contacted law enforcement.”
Snohomish County Helicopter Rescue Team assisted in extricating the deceased members of the party from the technical, mountainous terrain,” according to authorities.
“The presumed cause of the accident is an anchor failure while rappelling, with more investigation still ongoing,” officials said. “The Okanogan County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the SAR volunteers and Snohomish County for assisting in this tragic incident. Our thoughts are with the family members and friends of those involved.”
The climbers involved in the incident have not yet been publicly identified but they were confirmed to be 36, 47 and 63 years old. The investigation into their deaths are currently ongoing.
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