2 Climbers Die On Mount Rainier

Two climbers were killed and a third was seriously injured Sunday when they fell 2,400 feet in icy conditions on Mount Rainier.

It was the second fatal accident on the mountain in a week.

The three climbers fell from the 13,400-foot level and landed in a crevasse at the 11,000-foot level, the National Park Service said in a statement.

Two rangers were flown to the scene and found one climber suffering from severe head and other injuries, the statement said.

He was airlifted to Madigan Army Medical Center south of Tacoma, where he was in critical condition late Sunday night, a hospital spokeswoman said.

The bodies of the two other climbers have been turned over to the Pierce County Medical Examiner.

Names were being withheld.

Last Sunday, two climbing rescuers fell to their deaths while trying to help an injured climber. Those climbers may have slipped on an ice crust, the park service has said.