California man dies in fall on one of state’s highest peaks: report
A rescue helicopter was in the vicinity and responded
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A 56-year-old California man died Monday in a 500-foot fall while he approached the summit of Mount Russell, which is in Sequoia National Park and the state’s seventh-highest peak, a report said.
The San Jose Mercury News reported that Yao-Min Chen was with a group near the 14,000-foot summit when he somehow lost his footing and fell. A heroic woman in the group tried to stop the fall but she also fell about 30 feet and was badly injured.
A rescue helicopter was in the vicinity and responded after a third member from the group called 911 from a cell phone and sent out a distress call, SFGate reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The woman was rescued and flown to a hospital where she underwent surgery, the SFGate report said. Chen’s body was recovered the next day, according to the paper.