21-year-old climber found dead after fall from Oregon mountain slope
By Andy Rose and Zoe Sottile, CNN
(CNN) — Rescue crews have located the body of an Oregon climber who went missing earlier this week, according to local officials.
After several days of searching by air, rescue crews in Oregon used drone footage Thursday to locate the body of 21-year-old Joel Tranby on North Sister mountain, according to a Facebook post from the Lane County Sheriff’s Office.
Tranby “died after falling several hundred feet down a loose and rocky slope,” says the post.
Rescue teams are able to see his body from a helicopter, but the “extremely loose and steep rocky terrain” is making it impossible to reach him on foot, according to the sheriff’s office.
Officials are currently “consulting expert climbers” to determine if a recovery mission is possible.
“The spotters from the helicopter were able to see Joel and confirmed that he is no longer with us,” his mother April Tranby wrote on Facebook Thursday. “Joel has gone to be with the Lord.”
The sheriff’s office first received a call about Tranby’s fall on Monday, according to the sheriff’s office.
“The caller reported that her boyfriend had fallen approximately 300-500ft down the slope and was severely injured,” says the post. “The caller was unable to see where the victim had fallen or reach him due to the extremely steep and rocky terrain.”
Search crews arrived via helicopter and immediately began searching for him.
“We are saddened by this loss of life and extend our deepest sympathies to his family and friends,” the sheriff’s office said.
North Sister is the oldest and longest active volcano of Oregon’s Three Sisters, according to the US Geological Survey.
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