Four hikers dead in Mexico after falling 16,400 feet while climbing Pico de Orizaba – an
Four hikers dead in Mexico after falling 16,400 feet while climbing Pico de Orizaba – an active volcano and the highest mountain in the country
- Hugo Cruz; José Sepagua; Carlos Altamirano; and Humberto Muray were killed during a climbing accident on the Pico de Orizaba in Mexico on Sunday
- Preliminary reports indicated one of the climbers slipped and fell before he dragged the rest of the group with him
- At 18,491 feet above sea level, Pico de Orizaba, also known by its indigenous name Citlaltépetl, is the highest mountain in Mexico
Four Mexican men were killed during a hiking accident on the Pico de Orizaba on Saturday, authorities in the central state of Puebla said.
The climbers were scaling the active volcano – the highest mountain in the country and third in North America – when they fell approximately 16,400 feet.
The Puebla civil defense said that the climbing accident took place on the southern side of the volcano mountain – also known by its indigenous name Citlaltépetl – in the municipality of Atzitzintla.
A preliminary report indicated that the accident was caused after one of the hikers slipped and fell, dragging the other three with him.
José Sepagua and three other mountain climbers were accidentally killed while scaling the Pico de Orizaba, an active volcano, in Mexico, on Sunday
Carlos Altamirano is among the four hikers who were killed in a climbing accident at Pico de Orizaba, an active volcano, in Mexico
A preliminary report showed that Humberto Muray and three other mountain climbers were killed in an accident Sunday at Pico de Orizaba after one of the men slipped and fell, dragging the group about 16,400 feet down the volcano, the highest mountain in Mexico and third in North America
The victims have been identified as Hugo Cruz, 19; José Sepagua, 63; Carlos Altamirano, 53; and Humberto Muray, who is said to be 56.
Images released by the Puebla civil defense showed rescue workers, including the Mexican Red Cross, attempting to recover the bodies down from a loose, rocky apron below an even steeper slope.
Altamirano’s and Muray’s bodies were recovered Sunday. Cruz’s and Sepagua’s bodies were removed Monday around 4am.
Sunday’s incident is the first deadly accident on Pico de Orizaba, which soars to 18,619 feet above sea level and borders the states of Puebla and Veracruz, since June 16, 2022.
Puebla state rescue workers and Mexico’s Red Cross removed the bodies of four hikers who were killed in a climbing accident at Pico de Orizaba on Sunday
At 18,619 feet above sea level, Pico de Orizaba is the highest mountain in Mexico. It is located between the states of Puebla and Veracruz
Mexico’s Red Cross said a rescue mission to recover all of the climbers was completed around 4 am Monday when two bodies were removed from Pico de Orizaba, an active volcano and the highest mountain in the country
Abraham Cruz, of Bolivia, suffered a 492-foot fall, which authorities attributed to him not using suitable climbing equipment.
In 2018, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico said a member of the U.S. diplomatic mission died while climbing on the mountain.
In November 2017, another American climber died and seven others were rescued on the mountain.
Earlier this year, 31-year-old Perla Tijerina, of Mexico, spent 31 days living on top of the Pico de Orizaba as part of a personal challenge in which she sought out to test her mental strength and personal determination.