Rescuers have transported three Latvian mountaineers to safety in Talkeetna, Alaska, Normunds Reinbergs, head of the Latvian Mountaineering Association (LAS), confirmed to LSM.lv.
Three climbers, Inese Pučeka, Vija Olte, and Renārs Kunigs-Salaks, died after falling from the slopes of Mount McKinley (Denali) during a high-altitude expedition by a seven-person Latvian mountaineering team in the Alaskan mountain range in the U.S.
Mārtiņš Bilzēns was also injured in the accident; he was evacuated in critical condition and transferred to the care of U.S. medical personnel. The latest information indicates that doctors are not concerned for his life.
Three climbers, Valdis Puriņš, Edgars Madžulis, and Guntis Svariņš, returned to the campsite with their guides after the tragic accident, where they awaited the arrival of rescuers.
Around 1 a.m. on Saturday, May 30, the Consular Section of the Latvian Embassy in the U.S. received information that rescuers had arrived. Two of the climbers suffered frostbite, but there is hope that their hands will regain mobility, the LAS noted.
Information from the U.S. National Park Service indicates that the accident occurred during the climb between the mountain’s high camp and the Denali Pass at an altitude of approximately 5,545 meters. Rangers at Denali National Park received a call about the accident around midnight on Thursday, May 28.
The goal of the Latvian mountaineering team’s high-altitude expedition was to reach the highest peak on the North American continent by June 11. The expedition began on May 14.
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