ANCHORAGE — The National Park Service says a climber on Alaska’s Denali mountain died Tuesday of an unknown illness.
The climber’s name, gender and home country were not immediately released.
The climber was part of a four-person party.
A team descending from North America’s highest mountain at about 2:30 a.m. met the party with the ill climber between 18,400 and 19,000 feet.
The Park Service said the ill climber couldn’t move and had an “altered mental status.”
The descending team continued to a camp at 17,200 feet and called for help with a satellite phone.
A high altitude helicopter lifted the stricken climber in a basket from 18,400 feet. The climber was flown to a camp at 14,200 feet, where responders could not detect a pulse.
Alaska Air National Guard resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful.
