On May 24th, while descending from the summit, 59-year-old Michael Adams lost his footing and fell 800 feet, eventually coming to rest inside a volcanic vent known as a fumarole. He survived the fall, but was badly injured. Pictured here are four members of a mountain rescue team, who happened to be training on the mountain that day, and were thus able to reach Adams within two hours. Adams himself is not visible in the picture, as he is at this point still trapped in the fumarole, the entrance to which is the "slit" just beneath the rescuers. After the team managed to extract Adams, he was airlifted by helicopter to an area hospital. He suffered multiple fractures, as well as internal injuries, but is expected to survive.
Loading contexts...