JoCoSAR Blog

5 climbers feared dead on world's 3rd highest peak

By The Associated Press   Hat tip: Ernie Coffman

Desmond Boylan / Reuters file

Five climbers including two Hungarians and a South Korean are missing on the world's third-highest mountain and feared dead, a mountaineering official said Friday. 

The five disappeared Monday on Mount Kanchenjunga, and bad weather was preventing a rescue helicopter from reaching their base camp. 

Mountaineering Department official Dipendra Poudel said Friday that the climbers were descending from the summit when they were believed to have slipped or fallen at an altitude of about 7,900 meters (25,900 feet). 

The Hungarians have been identified as Zsolt Eross, 45, and Peter Kiss, 27, while the South Korean climber is Namsoo Park, 47. The Nepalese guides have been identified as Phu Dorjee, 24, and Bibash Gurung, 25. 

Eross has scaled 10 of the 14 highest peaks in the world and was the first from his country to scale Mount Everest. Kanchenjunga is 28,162 feet high. 

Silvia Marchetti   Hat tip; Ernie Coffman

Courtesy ICE-SAR A cellphone photo of the picnicking American tourist group before they were rescued from an ice slab that broke off from land early this week in Iceland.

A group of American tourists have been rescued from a drifting Icelandic iceberg that broke off from land as they were trying to picnic upon it, complete with folding chairs and table.

The five imperiled picknicers are safe, plucked by a small rescue boat from the ice slab floating atop deathly frigid waters of the Fjallsárlón glacial lagoon in Iceland, five-and-a-half hours east of Reykhavik.

“The ice was solid when they got there, but when they set the table and chairs the wind changed and the next minute they were blown some 10-15 meters into the lagoon,” Hornafjörður rescue team volunteer Páll Sigurður Vignisson, who piloted the picnickers to safety earlier this week, told NBC News.

“The scene was comical – they were sitting on the chairs around a table, on a piece of floating ice," said Vignisson. "But the iceberg could have cracked or flipped over any minute, throwing them into very deep, almost frozen waters."

With its breathtaking glacial lagoons and volcanoes, Iceland is highly prized tourist destination. Some 600,000 are expected to visit Iceland this year, double the local population. The tourists can sometimes be more eager than experienced, resulting in up to 20 serious cases annually requiring rescue squad intervention.

“They don’t know the area, nor how to drive over a river, and they don’t know how to behave if the car gets stuck," local RÚV reporter Björn Malmquist told NBC News. "They often either get lost on foot or driving in the highlands.”

Or by grabbing a sandwich in an ill-advised locale.

When Vignisson first reached the group he noted that the tourists were, “not at all scared, pretty calm, laughing and joking about the whole thing, despite that they had been stuck floating for about an hour. They just didn’t realize the risks they were running. They thought they were doing something real cool."

One of the group members was able to jump to shore just as the iceberg broke off and place a call requesting rescue. Police arrived and spoke with the tourists, but didn't press charges.

Vignisson said he hoped the incident would prompt authorities to put up signs saying "forbidden to have picnics here."

"If you think about it, it’s a totally crazy idea: ice behaves in an unpredictable way, you never know what may happen."

Josephine County Weather alert for this Weekend

Interactive NWS Alert Information

New Event for Josephine County

SPS valid from May 25 2:43 AM to 3:45 PM PDT

Sent to E-Mail at May 25 2:44 AM PDT

Radar Time: May 25 2013 7:30 AM PDT

000
WWUS86 KMFR 250943
SPSMFR

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
243 AM PDT SAT MAY 25 2013

CAZ080>085-ORZ021>031-252245-
WESTERN SISKIYOU COUNTY-CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY-
SOUTH CENTRAL SISKIYOU COUNTY-
NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST SISKIYOU COUNTY-
NORTHEAST SISKIYOU AND NORTHWEST MODOC COUNTIES-MODOC COUNTY-
SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON COAST-CURRY COUNTY COAST-
CENTRAL DOUGLAS COUNTY-EASTERN CURRY COUNTY AND JOSEPHINE COUNTY-
EASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY FOOTHILLS-JACKSON COUNTY-
SOUTH CENTRAL OREGON CASCADES-
SISKIYOU MOUNTAINS AND SOUTHERN OREGON CASCADES-KLAMATH BASIN-
NORTHERN AND EASTERN KLAMATH COUNTY AND WESTERN LAKE COUNTY-
CENTRAL AND EASTERN LAKE COUNTY-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...ETNA...FORT JONES...GREENVIEW...YREKA...
WEED...MOUNT SHASTA...DUNSMUIR...MCCLOUD...TENNANT...TULELAKE...
DORRIS...ALTURAS...COOS BAY...NORTH BEND...REEDSPORT...BANDON...
PORT ORFORD...COQUILLE...BROOKINGS...HARBOR...GOLD BEACH...
DRAIN...ELKTON...ROSEBURG...SUTHERLIN...GREEN...MYRTLE CREEK...
CANYONVILLE...GLENDALE...GRANTS PASS...CAVE JUNCTION...
STEAMBOAT...TOKETEE FALLS...MEDFORD...ASHLAND...CRATER LAKE...
CRESCENT LAKE...DIAMOND LAKE...UNION CREEK...HOWARD PRAIRIE...
SISKIYOU SUMMIT...ALTAMONT...KLAMATH FALLS...BEATTY...BLY...
CHEMULT...CRESCENT...GILCHRIST...SPRAGUE RIVER...LAKEVIEW
243 AM PDT SAT MAY 25 2013

..A COLD AND WET START FOR THE CAMPING SEASON...

THE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND WILL BE A COOL AND WET ONE OVER SOUTHERN
OREGON AND NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.  

SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH THE MOST
WIDESPREAD ACTIVITY OCCURRING SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY
MORNING. SOME ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP OVER LAKE AND
MODOC COUNTIES SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL
BE LIGHT...LESS THAN 0.10 INCHES FOR THE MOST PART WITH MOST AREAS
RECEIVING JUST A FEW HUNDREDTHS. AMOUNTS WILL BE SLIGHTLY HIGHER
SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY AS SHOWERS BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD.

LOWS FRIDAY NIGHT WILL BE IN THE 40S OVER THE WEST SIDE VALLEYS
AND IN THE 30S IN THE MOUNTAINS AND EAST OF THE CASCADES. THE
SATURDAY NIGHT LOWS WILL BE AROUND FIVE DEGREES WARMER THAN
FRIDAY NIGHT. HIGH TEMPERATURES SATURDAY WILL MOSTLY BE IN THE 60S
OVER THE VALLEYS AND IN THE 50S OVER THE MOUNTAINS. HIGHS SUNDAY
WILL BE AROUND FIVE DEGREES COOLER THAN SATURDAY.

SNOW LEVELS WILL REMAIN ABOVE MOST AREAS...ABOUT 6000 TO 8000 FEET
DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...RISING TO 7000 TO 9000 FEET IN THE
AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS.

MONDAY WILL BE THE WETTEST DAY OF THE THREE DAY WEEKEND. A WARM
FRONT WILL BRING WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION TO THE AREA. THE
HEAVIEST AMOUNTS WILL FALL OVER THE COAST RANGE OF SOUTHWEST
OREGON...INCLUDING THE KALMIOPSIS WILDERNESS...WESTERN SISKIYOU
COUNTY AND THE CASCADES. LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE MIDDLE
40S TO MIDDLE 50S OVER THE WEST SIDE VALLEYS AND IN THE MIDDLE 30S
TO MIDDLE 40S IN THE MOUNTAINS AND EAST OF THE CASCADES. HIGH
TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE MIDDLE 50S TO MIDDLE 60S IN THE
VALLEYS AND IN THE MIDDLE 40S TO MIDDLE 50S IN THE MOUNTAINS. SNOW
LEVELS WILL REMAIN IN THE 7000 TO 9000 FOOT RANGE.

THOSE PLANNING TO BE OUTDOORS THIS WEEKEND SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR
COOL AND WET WEATHER.

CA: One life lost is one too many as Search and Rescue updates Kern River signs

BY LAURA LIERA 

By Felix Adamo / The Californian

The English and Spanish signs at the entrance to the Kern River Canyon were changed Friday to add one more life lost in the Kern River since 1968.

As Kern County Sheriff's Sgt. Ken Smith added a number seven at the end of last year's number of 266, nearly 15 Search and Rescue personnel and Kern County Fire Department firefighters all looked up at the new number of 267 lives lost.

"It's a tragic loss because every one of the deaths are avoidable," Smith said. "And it's frustrating for me and my team when people go into the river and do silly things that ultimately get them killed."

The new addition to the sign was a man who drowned last summer in his backyard. He lived between Hart Park and Goodmanville and was drinking with friends and decided to get into the river intoxicated, Smith said.

The majority of the deaths since 1968 have been males and more than 70 percent of them had been intoxicated, the sergeant said.

The power of the river is usually underestimated by many who visit the natural resource. Smith made clear that the river roughly consists of 64 pounds of pressure per gallon of water, meaning that not even the strongest man could take the power of the water.

"A full-grown man that is a body builder could not hold on to a rock and take the water power," Smith said. "He would be ripped up and swept away in an instant."

Although this year the river's water level has decreased to 545 cubic feet per second, compared to last year's 1,185 cubic feet per second, Bob Fallon, who has been a part of Search and Rescue for 23 years, said the river is still dangerous if it's not respected.

"We have been talking to community members and telling them that the water is low but it's still important to wear a life jacket so that if something were to happen, they have some type of flotation that can give them a better chance of making it out safely," Fallon said.

With Memorial Day weekend here, Smith recommends everyone be smart about their surroundings and remember to wear a vest and rubber sole shoes before getting into the water.

WA: Bridge collapse that sent cars and drivers plunging into river was caused by a truck hitting the overhead bar

Good pictoral series of the bridge collapse.  More photos and a video at the source.

By MEGHAN KENEALLY

Rush hour: The bridge over the Skagit River collapsed shortly before 7pm on Thursday causing a number of passenger-filled cars to fall into the water below

Revelations: The bridge was reportedly listed as one of the state's structurally deficient bridges 

Rescue effort: Workers form a human chain as they begin to remove a woman from a vehicle in the water

Lucky escape: A man is seen sitting atop a car that fell into the Skagit River after the bridge collapse

CA: Montana man dies in Yosemite climbing accident

AP   Hat tip: Ernie Coffman

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif. -- A Montana man died in a rock climbing accident as he tried to climb to the top of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, authorities said.

Mason Robison, 38, of Columbia Falls, Mont., was killed after a rock dislodged and severed his rope as he and a partner were about 2,300 feet above the Yosemite Valley floor, Yosemite spokeswoman Kari Cobb said Monday.

The two climbers were about 600 feet from the summit around 9:15 a.m. Sunday when Robison put a piece of gear into what's called a "flake," or a deep crack in a large rock that runs along the slope, and it dislodged and severed his line.

Robison fell about 230 feet, with a second line eventually stopping his fall but leaving him dangling and hanging motionless.

A park helicopter flew rangers and search-and-rescue teams to the summit of El Capitan, where rangers, described by Cobb as "highly trained" in cliff rescues, rappelled down to reach Robison and his climbing partner.

Robison was pronounced at the scene. His partner, who has not been named, was not hurt.

El Capitan is a favorite climbing area for experienced rock climbers. Rising more than 3,000 feet above the valley below, it is the largest monolith of granite in the world, according to Yosemite's website.

Robison's death is the second accidental death at the park this year, Cobb said.

Earlier this month, a 73-year-old Minnesota man died when he apparently fell at the park's Vernal Fall after stopping to take a photo.

OK: Search continues for boy, 17, missing in Uncle John Creek in Kingfisher

source

10:40 a.m. KINGFISHER – Police Chief Dennis Baker said authorities have not completed interviews with all witnesses about a 17-year-old boy who went missing in Uncle John Creek Thursday. Baker said the boy has not been located and his name has not been released. Baker said preliminary reports are that the boy went into the water after going to the creek with others to swim in the rain-swollen creek. Searchers have arrived with dogs to assist in the search. Check back to NewsOK.com for more information.

7:20 am. KINGFISHER -- Search dogs from the Central Oklahoma Search and Rescue team will begin helping firefighters and Oklahoma Highway Patrol troopers looking for a 17-year-old boy who jumped into Uncle John Creek, said Fire Chief Randy Poindexter. Check NewsOK.com for updates.

6 a.m. KINGFISHER – A search is underway in Uncle John Creek for a 17-year-old boy from Kingfisher who jumped off a dam into the water in a city park Thursday night and did not resurface.

Firefighters were called to Oklahoma Park about 7 p.m. Thursday, said Kingfisher Fire Chief Randy Poindexter.

The creek, swollen from recent rains, is near a swinging bridge where swimming is prohibited and warning signs are posted. The creek has dangerous currents, Poindexter said.

Firefighters from across Kingfisher County and Edmond searched overnight with a boat. There were three other people with the boy when he jumped in. The others were not injured, Poindexter said.

Poindexter said search and rescue dogs will arrive Friday morning to continue the search.

Check back to NewsOK.com for more information.

Three rescued, none killed in Washington bridge collapse

 By: Manuel Valdes and Mike Baker

AP Photo/The Seattle Times, Rick Lund

MOUNT VERNON, Wash. — An Interstate 5 bridge over a river north of Seattle collapsed Thursday evening, dumping several vehicles into the water as authorities investigated the cause of the collapse that cut off the state's main north-south thruway and sent three people to the hospital. 

Authorities said no one was killed. The extent of the injuries of the three people rescued from the water remained unclear, said Marcus Deyerin, a spokesman for the Northwest Washington Incident Management Team.

A search of the river continues and a dive team was on scene as well as several rescue boats still on the river. 

"We don't think anyone else went into the water," Deyerin said. "At this point we're optimistic."

Washington State Trooper Mark Francis said a portion of the four-lane bridge over the Skagit River collapsed about 7 p.m. It was not known what caused the collapse of the bridge about 60 miles north of Seattle in Skagit County, but the state Transportation Department said it was investigating whether an oversize load may have struck the bridge.

A damaged red car and a damaged pickup truck were visible in the water, which appeared so shallow it barely reached the top of the car's hood. 

Xavier Grospe, 62, who lives near the river, said he could see three cars with what appeared to be one person per vehicle. The vehicles were sitting still in the water, partially submerged and partly above the waterline, and the apparent drivers were sitting either on top of the vehicles or on the edge of open windows. 

"It doesn't look like anybody's in danger right now," Grospe said. 

Helicopter footage aired by KOMO-TV in Seattle showed several rescue boats at the bridge collapse scene with several ambulances waiting on the shore. One rescue boat left the scene with one person strapped into a stretcher.

A damaged red car and a damaged pickup truck were visible in the water, which appeared so shallow it barely reached the top of the car's hood. 

Crowds of people lined the river to watch the scene unfold.

"It's not something you see every day," said Jimmy O'Connor, the owner of two local pizza restaurants who was driving on another bridge parallel to the one that collapsed. "People were starting to crawl out of their cars." 

He said he and his girlfriend were about 400 yards away on the Burlington Bridge when they heard "just a loud bang." 

"Then we looked over and saw the bridge was down in the water," he said. 

He pulled over and saw three vehicles in the water, including a camping trailer that landed upside-down, he said. 

Kari Ranten, a spokeswoman for Skagit Valley Hospital, said two people who were injured in the collapse were en route to the facility. She said another person was being transported to a different area hospital.

The bridge is not considered structurally deficient but is listed as being "functionally obsolete" - a category meaning that their design is outdated, such as having narrow shoulders are low clearance underneath, according to a database compiled by the Federal Highway Administration. 

The bridge was built in 1955 and has a sufficiency rating of 57.4 out of 100, according to federal records. That is well below the statewide average rating of 80, according to an Associated Press analysis of federal data, but 759 bridges in the state have a lower sufficiency score. 

According to a 2012 Skagit County Public Works Department, 42 of the county's 108 bridges that are 50 years or older. The document says eight of the bridges are more than 70 years old and two are over 80. 

Washington state was given a C in the American Society of Civil Engineers' 2013 infrastructure report card and a C- when it came to the state's bridges. The group said more than a quarter of Washington's 7,840 bridges are considered structurally deficient of functionally obsolete.

Calif. lawmakers push for law to make reckless victims pay search-and-rescue costs

source   video at source

(CBS News) Across the country, search-and-rescue teams are being called out more often -- and not because of the weather, but for people acting recklessly. Some think taxpayers are the real victims, and now there's a new push to change that. 

It was a tense drama that captivated Southern California in early April. On Easter Sunday, Nick Cendoya and Kyndall Jack set out on a wilderness hike and soon got lost. Search-and-rescue teams spent four days -- and an estimated $160,000 -- combing the mountains of Orange County. 

Mike Leum, of Los Angeles County Sheriff of Search and Rescue, said, "I just saw the palm of her hand waving through a bush." 

CBS News' Carter Evans remarked, "That must've just been a huge relief."  Leum said, "That was about the best thing I can remember seeing in a long time"

But after a seemingly happy ending, a troubling explanation emerged for why they got lost in the first place. Todd Spitzer, Orange County supervisor, said, "It was reported to me through law enforcement that both Nick Cendoya and Miss Jack were engaged in the use of drugs."

Cendoya was charged with felony drug possession after authorities found methamphetamine in his car. That news caused outrage -- not just because of the cost, but because two rescuers were seriously injured.

Nick Papageorge recalled his fall amid rescue effort, "I fell 110 feet. I bounced off the wall twice, and then came to a stop. I immediately knew that I broke my back."

Now, Orange County politicians are asking the State of California to pass a law allowing local cities and counties to send a bill to people whose reckless acts result in a costly rescue. Spitzer said, "This is really about an educational tool to have people think twice before they do something that, honestly, is just plain downright stupid."

If such a law is approved, California would be the eighth state with search-and-rescue "cost recovery" statutes. But officials say these laws could have unwanted side effects. Leum said, "We don't want to see people charged for a rescue because it will inevitably lead to somebody delaying the request to rescue a loved one and that's gonna cost some lives, without a doubt."

Leum has seen a spike in rescue calls in Southern California. In 2012, there were 560 rescues, up 10 percent from the year before. And it's not just hikers. More amateur athletes are attempting extreme sports, leading to rescues of everyone, from off-trail skiers to inexperienced cliff-climbers.

"Social media has been playing a huge role because people go up into these areas, do extreme activities, film it, and post it on YouTube, Facebook," Leum said. "Other people want to go do the same thing because it looks like fun."

The law's supporters say they'll only target the truly reckless who have the means to pay the costs, ranging from $1,000 to tens of thousands of dollars. But ultimately, it will still be the taxpayers who will come to the rescue because there will likely be a cap on any recovery amount.

MN: Two children killed in field trip landslide

By Matthew DeLuca   Hat tip: Ernie Coffman

Scott Takushi / AP

Authorities recovered the body of a Minnesota child who went missing after a gravel slide swept several members of an elementary school class on a school fossil-hunting trip into a pit, bringing the death toll in the incident to two.

Crews recovered the boy’s body on Thursday after bad weather briefly let up, St. Paul Assistant Fire Chief Jim Smith said, according to NBC News affiliate KARE.

The boy’s family had been notified, Smith said.

The fourth-graders from a St. Louis Park elementary school were hiking in Lilydale Regional Park on Wednesday when a steep slope soaked by rain gave way, authorities have said. Two trapped children were dug out by firefighters who clawed away gravel with their hands and shovels, they said.

“It appears they were walking along and the ground, after the rain we’ve had, was so soft and it gave way and they fell into what became a hole and the earth came on top of them,” St. Paul Fire Marshal Steve Zaccard said at a news conference, according to KARE.

An emergency worker attends to a person on a stretcher, being evacuated out of a rockslide site by helicopter, on the West Side of St. Paul, Wednesday, May 22, 2013.

One of the children pulled from the pit later died, and has not yet been identified by authorities. One child injured in the slide has been released from the hospital and another remains in serious condition, officials said on Thursday.

“The slide had fallen down on top of them," Zaccard said. “One was partially buried, one was completely buried.”

The search for the missing student was suspended overnight as rescuers battled worsening conditions.

“Water is flowing right into the hole making it extremely dangerous for rescuers to work anymore,” Zaccard said. “We are working with our partners in Parks and Public Works to make the scene safe for what’s become a recovery effort for what might be a fourth victim.”

A man who identified himself as the missing child’s uncle said the student “liked geology,” according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

“Thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the children and to our first responders who continue to deal with the situation as it develops,” said St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman.

Classes went on at Peter Hobart Elementary, where the students were from, on Thursday, district officials told KARE

“This is an incredibly sad time for our schools and our entire school community. Our hearts go out to the families, friends, and everyone touched by today’s accident,” St. Louis Park Public Schools Superintendent Debra Bowers said in a statement. “We, like everyone else, want to understand how this tragedy occurred, but today we ask for your continued thoughts and prayers for everyone involved.”