MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK, Wash. (AP) — A break in the weather has allowed two helicopters and a State Patrol plane equipped with heat-sensing technology to join the search for four climbers and campers who have been missing for a week on Mount Rainier.
The National Park Service says 40 searchers are on the ground.
Blizzards packing heavy snows and winds of more than 60 mph have hindered rescue efforts over the past week. The snow is up to 15 feet deep, with drifts as deep as 50 feet.
The missing campers are 37-year-old Mark Vucich, of San Diego, and 30-year-old Michelle Trojanowski, of Atlanta, who were due to return Jan. 15. The climbers were identified as 52-year-old Sork “Erik” Yang, of Springfield, Ore., and Seol Hee Jin, of Korea. They were due back last Monday.
