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In this photo provided by the National Park Service, mountaineers search a slope in Denali National Park. (National Park Service / June 16, 2012) |
Four members of a Japanese climbing team are presumed dead after an avalanche swept them off a hill on Mount McKinley.
U.S. National Park Service officials say five people were traveling as one rope team early Thursday morning as part of a Miyagi Workers Alpine Federation expedition.
One team member, 69-year-old Hitoshi Ogi, was swept into a crevasse and survived. The other four tumbled into the avalanche debris and haven't been seen since.
The Park Service says in a news release that nearly 400 mountaineers were making rescue attempts Saturday on the Alaska mountain's West Buttress. Snowfall and wind have impeded the search.
The four missing climbers include 64-year-old Yoshiaki Kato, 50-year-old Masako Suda, 56-year-old Michiko Suzuki, and 63-year-old Tamao Suzuki.
The four presumed deaths bring the total number of people who died on Denali in 2012 to six.
