By Daniella Segura
The Charlotte Observer
DUCHESNE CITY, Utah — An ice climber died after pushing a friend to safety as an ice column fractured and fell on the group, according to a Utah sheriff.
The three climbers were climbing “Raven Falls in Duchesne County near Indian Canyon” on Sunday, April 2, the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office said in an April 4 Facebook post.
After pushing her fellow 21-year-old climber out of the way, likely saving the climber’s life, the woman “was trapped underneath two huge blocks of ice and did not survive,” the sheriff’s office said.
The 21-year-old climber climbed “down the terrain,” drove to Duchesne City and called 911, deputies said.
The third climber, a 34-year-old man, was seriously injured after falling 40 feet when the ice fell, the sheriff’s office previously said. He was airlifted from the area April 2.
The sheriff’s office said rescuers from multiple counties, including Duchesne and Wasatch, as well as “volunteer ice climbers” searched for the missing climber who pushed her friend to safety, McClatchy News reported.
The sheriff’s office said it found her Monday, April 3.
“Our sincere condolences to all affected by this tragedy, to the family of this brave, courageous woman who lost her life while saving another,” the sheriff’s office said.
Duchesne County is about 100 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.
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