A French pilot who went missing while climbing California’s towering Mount Whitney was found dead after falling about 1,000 feet off a cliff, the National Park Service said Friday.
The hiker was identified as Tom Gerbier of Fontenay-sous-Bois, France, who was an Air France pilot, the park service said in a statement.
He is 38 years old, according to a missing poster issued by the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office, which is part of the search.
The highest mountain in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney rises 14,494 feet on the eastern border of Sequoia National Park and is a difficult but popular climb.
Gerbier started at Whitney Portal near the town of Lone Pine early Tuesday and was reported missing when he didn’t show up for his flight home Wednesday, the park service said.
The park service and local authorities sent ground forces to the area Thursday.
Searchers saw indications that someone might have fallen off a cliff in an area called “The Notch,” and a helicopter crew directed there spotted a motionless person in clothing matching Gerbier’s description.
The body was recovered by helicopter that afternoon, and the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Gerbier’s identity.
The tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney rises 14,494 feet on the eastern border of Sequoia National Park. Inyo Search and Rescue
Air France said in a statement that Gerbier had stopped over in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
“The company extends its deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” the airline said.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
