67-year-old climber plunges to his death from 450-foot monument, Colorado rangers say

A 67-year-old climber fell to his death in a Colorado park, officials said.

The man was climbing Saturday, April 30, in Colorado National Monument park, about 257 miles west of Denver. He fell and died from his injuries, park officials said.

“Rescue crews hiked several miles and climbed up the rockface to reach the injured climber,” the National Park Service said in a news release.

Park rangers are investigating the death. The county coroner will determine a cause and manner of death.

Officials did not disclose the climber’s identity.

The man was climbing Independence Monument, a 450-foot rock formation. It’s the “largest free-standing rock formation in the park” that was formed by erosion, according to the National Park Service.

“Today a remnant of the once solid rock wall survives as Independence Monument, a free-standing monolith,” park officials said. “It too will eventually succumb to the ravages of time and weather.”

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