Climber falls 1,000 feet on Mount Hood

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Rescuers believe they’ve located a climber on Mount Hood who was seen falling about 1,000 feet by other climbers on Oregon’s tallest peak.

The Hood River County Sheriff’s Office says the climber appeared to be alone when he fell at about 8 a.m. Tuesday. Other climbers lost sight of the person — who appeared to be a man — after the fall near Eliot Glacier.

Sheriff’s office spokesman Pete Hughes says a fixed-wing search plane may have located the climber. He says it’s not clear if he survived the fall.

Hughes says the aircraft could not find a stable position, so a National Guard helicopter has been sent to photograph the man’s position.

KGW reports at least one other climber reported seeing the accident just after 8 a.m. They said the climber fell in the area of Eliot Glacier and appeared to be alone.

About two hours later, searchers in a fixed-wing aircraft spotted what they thought was the location of the climber near the 10,500 foot level, above Eliot Glacier, according to Sgt. Pete Hughes with the Hood River County Sheriffs Department.

A National Guard Blackhawk helicopter team was preparing to launch, along with the Crag Rats in Hood River.