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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| One dead after rock fall on El Capitan in Yosemite national park | One dead after rock fall on El Capitan in Yosemite national park |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| One person has died and another injured after a rock fall crashed down the famous El Capitan face in Yosemite national park in California, officials said. | One person has died and another injured after a rock fall crashed down the famous El Capitan face in Yosemite national park in California, officials said. |
| Scott Gediman, a park ranger, said there were more than 30 climbers on the 4,000ft (1,219m) face when the rock fall occurred on Wednesday at around 2pm. | Scott Gediman, a park ranger, said there were more than 30 climbers on the 4,000ft (1,219m) face when the rock fall occurred on Wednesday at around 2pm. |
| Search and rescue teams had reached the scene and were assessing the situation, along with a park helicopter, Gediman said in a statement. | Search and rescue teams had reached the scene and were assessing the situation, along with a park helicopter, Gediman said in a statement. |
| There was one confirmed death, Gediman said, but gave no details about the victim. The injured person was being taken to a hospital near the park. Gediman could not confirm the size of the rock fall. | |
| UPDATE: A viewer sent us a photo of the rock fall at El Capitan in #Yosemite that killed 1 person and injured more. https://t.co/pXouFj7ivH pic.twitter.com/bSJoRP9rQo | UPDATE: A viewer sent us a photo of the rock fall at El Capitan in #Yosemite that killed 1 person and injured more. https://t.co/pXouFj7ivH pic.twitter.com/bSJoRP9rQo |
| #BREAKING one person killed, another injured after rockfall at El Capitan at #Yosemite. LIVE VIDEO: https://t.co/FZv7cfTV8l pic.twitter.com/N8FTi8EX4v | #BREAKING one person killed, another injured after rockfall at El Capitan at #Yosemite. LIVE VIDEO: https://t.co/FZv7cfTV8l pic.twitter.com/N8FTi8EX4v |
| “It’s the heart of climbing season,” Gediman said. “It was witnessed by a lot of people.” | “It’s the heart of climbing season,” Gediman said. “It was witnessed by a lot of people.” |
| One of the world’s most famous climbs, El Capitan is a granite monolith towering from the Yosemite Valley floor. Mountaineers travel from around the world to scale the sheer face and this time of year is the peak season for attempting the climb because the days are long and not too hot. | One of the world’s most famous climbs, El Capitan is a granite monolith towering from the Yosemite Valley floor. Mountaineers travel from around the world to scale the sheer face and this time of year is the peak season for attempting the climb because the days are long and not too hot. |
| The rock fall happened along the Waterfall route on El Capitan’s eastern buttress. | The rock fall happened along the Waterfall route on El Capitan’s eastern buttress. |
| The park remained open and visitor services were not affected, Gediman said. | The park remained open and visitor services were not affected, Gediman said. |
| MORE: #ElCapitan is popular with climbers at #Yosemite National Park, especially this time of year https://t.co/1UIvZtvcCF pic.twitter.com/2OBV8bZiGr | MORE: #ElCapitan is popular with climbers at #Yosemite National Park, especially this time of year https://t.co/1UIvZtvcCF pic.twitter.com/2OBV8bZiGr |
| Ken Yager, president and founder of the Yosemite Climbing Association, reviewed photos of the cliff face and debris field, estimating the relatively thin piece that broke off covered an area big enough to fit five houses. | |
| “It cratered and sent stuff mushrooming out in all directions,” said Yager. | |
| Rock falls are common in Yosemite but seldom fatal. Kevin Jorgeson said he and climbing partner Tommy Caldwell witnessed a massive rock fall in the same area while they prepared for a trek that made them the first people to free-climb the Dawn Wall route on El Capitan in 2015. | |
| “Yosemite is just a really active, wild place. It’s always changing,” Jorgeson said. “It doesn’t make it any less tragic when someone gets in the way of that.” |