Lone survivor rescued after fatal fall kills three climbers on Mount McKinley

Three Latvian climbers died and a fourth survived after a fall on Wednesday near Denali Pass on Alaska's Mount McKinley.Four members of a seven-person climbing expedition fell near Denali Pass, about 2,100 feet below the mountain's 20,310-foot summit, according to Reuters.The Latvian Mountaineering Association identified the deceased climbers as Inese Puceka, Vija Olte and Renars Kunigs-Salaks, the outlet reported.ONE MAN TURNED A GLOBAL SKYSCRAPER INTO HIS MOST DANGEROUS DESTINATION OF ALL: 'PRETTY SURREAL'The association said a fourth climber, Mārtiņš Bilzēns, survived the fall and was in critical condition.Rescue crews from the National Park Service evacuated the surviving climber on Thursday from a basin at approximately 17,200 feet.Three Latvian climbers were killed, while a fourth survived, after falling near Denali Pass on Alaska’s Mount McKinley several days ago. (Arterra/Universal Images Group)Challenging terrain and weather conditions prevented a helicopter from landing.That required rescuers to use a long-line extraction system before transporting the climber to Kahiltna Base Camp and later to a hospital, according to the National Park Service.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTERThe three remaining members of the expedition who were not involved in the fall returned to High Camp after assisting their climbing partners, park officials said.Following the rescue efforts at high altitude, all three experienced declining physical conditions and were evacuated from the mountain Friday.The surviving climber (not pictured) was airlifted to safety after rescuers used a long-line extraction system due to terrain and weather conditions that prevented a helicopter from landing.(iStock)Recovery efforts for the three climbers who died remain ongoing as weather, terrain and mountain conditions continue to affect access to the site, park officials said.The accident occurred near Denali Pass, one of the most hazardous sections of the mountain. CLIC...