A woman was killed in a climbing accident in Washington’s North Cascades National Park over the weekend.
Susan Bennett, a 61-year old Bellingham resident, and three other climbers had reached the summit of Forbidden Peak. The group was descending along the peak’s West Ridge when Bennett fell 30 feet into a crevasse.
The Skagit County Sherriff’s Office reported the accident to the National Park Service. The agency sent a helicopter and a rescue crew from Mount Rainier National Park.
Poor weather and rugged terrain kept the team from recovering Bennett’s body. According to the National Park Service, the recovery effort will continue.
The last fatal accident in North Cascades National Park took place in 2015. Last week, a 42-year-old Seattle man fell into a crevasse on Mount Rainier, while he was descending the peak on skis. In May, a team rescued a woman from a crevasse also on Mount Rainier.
Copyright 2017 Northwest News Network
