‘ 3 climbers fell 400 feet to their death. 1 climber survived and drove to a pay phone

[Starmix]

According to the report, a rock climber who fell hundreds of feet descending a steep gully in Washington’s North Cascades mountains survived the fall that killed his three companions, hiked to his car in the dark, and then drove to a pay phone to call for help, authorities said Tuesday. The surviving climber, Anton Tselykh, 38, extricated himself from a tangle of ropes, helmets, and other equipment after the fall Saturday evening. Despite suffering internal bleeding and head trauma, Tselykh eventually, over at least a dozen hours, made the trek to the pay phone, Okanogan County Undersheriff Dave Yarnell said.
The report said that the climbers who were killed were Vishnu Irigireddy, 48, Tim Nguyen, 63, and Oleksander Martynenko, 36, Okanogan County Coroner Dave Rodriguez said. Authorities haven’t yet been able to interview the survivor, who is in a Seattle hospital, said Rodriguez, so much is still unknown about the fall and Tselykh’s journey.

The group of four was scaling the Early Winters Spires, jagged peaks split by a cleft that is popular with climbers in the North Cascade Range, about 160 miles (257 kilometers) northeast of Seattle. They plummeted for about 200 feet into a slanted gulch and then tumbled another 200 feet before coming to rest. Authorities believe the group had been ascending but turned around when they saw a storm approaching.

Source: CNN