2 climbers dead after fall at Yosemite National Park

Credit: Justin Sullivan

Credit: Justin Sullivan

Two rock climbers fell to their deaths Saturday while ascending the Freeblast Route on El Capitan at Yosemite National Park, officials said.

Yosemite Park Rangers and Search and Rescue staff received multiple calls at 8:15 a.m. and responded to the incident, officials said.

Officials said the climbers were 46-year-old Jason Wells of Boulder, Colorado, and 42-year-old Tim Klien of Palmdale, California, The Associated Press reported.

This is not the first death at the park this year.

A hiker fell from the Half Dome cables during a thunderstorm May 21, according to KGO. That was the first death at the Half Dome since 2010, according to KTVU.

And in May, world-renowned climber Hans Florine had to be rescued after falling at El Capitan and breaking a leg, according to KTVU.

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