3 Climbers Killed In Tragedy at Mount McKinley

Tragedy has struck a climbing expedition at a U.S. national park in Alaska this week.

Three climbers have been found dead at Mount McKinley in Alaska. The three climbers were members of a Latvian climbing expedition, according to the National Park Service and the Latvian Mountaineering Association.

One climber from the expedition had been rescued. He had been found at a 17,200-foot basin on the mountain around 4 p.m. May 28, according to a National Park Service update. Tragically, three other climbers were found dead.

The four climbers were part of seven-person Latvian climbing expedition. They had suffered a fall on May 27 near Denali Pass, about 2,100 feet below the 20,310-foot summit of North America's biggest mountain.

The three climbers who were found dead have been identified as Inese Puceka, Vija Olte and Renars Kunigs-Salaks, according to Reuters. A search and recovery operation is now underway for their bodies.

The fourth climber, Martin Bilzens, has been hospitalized and he is in critical condition.

Latvia extremely saddened by the tragedy

The deaths are a horrific, painful loss for the Latvian climbing community and the alpinist community at large.

"This is an indescribably painful and irreversible loss for the entire Latvian climbing community," the organization said, according to Reuters.

An official investigation into the tragic deaths is underway.

May they all rest in peace.

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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 11:56 AM.