German climber dies on Alaska’s Mount McKinley

German climber dies on Alaska’s Mount McKinley

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Officials say a 59-year-old German mountaineer has died of cardiac arrest while climbing Alaska’s Mount McKinley.

National Park Service officials say Klaus Bielstein of Muenster, Germany, was climbing North America’s tallest peak with an 11-member expedition team Sunday evening when he suddenly collapsed at the 13,500-foot level of the roughly 20,000-foot mountain.

Expedition guides radioed for help and began CPR on the unconscious man. Officials say rangers reached the team within an hour and a nurse pronounced Bielstein dead.

Bielstein’s body was recovered and taken to a local funeral home.

Officials say the death is the first major incident in this year’s climbing season at Denali National Park and Preserve.

According to officials, 920 climbers are registered to climb Mount McKinley, known locally as Denali.