Injured climber drove to payphone to seek help after gully fall left three dead

A rock climber who fell about 120 metres while descending a steep gully in Washington state's North Cascade mountains survived the fall that killed his three companions, hiked to his car in the dark and then drove to a payphone to call for help, authorities have said.

- Associated Press

The surviving climber, who has not been publicly identified, extricated himself from a tangle of ropes, helmets and other equipment after the fall and made the trek despite suffering internal bleeding and head trauma, Okanogan County undersheriff Dave Yarnell said.

Cristina Woodworth, who leads the sheriff's search and rescue team, said falls causing three deaths were extremely rare locally, and many details remained to be determined.