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American Morning

Rescue Attempt at Oregon's Highest Mountain Goes Horribly Wrong

Aired May 31, 2002 - 09:04   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: "Up Front" this morning, a dangerous rescue attempt at Oregon's highest mountain goes horribly wrong.

CNN's Frank Buckley is standing by at the scene. He joins us now from Mount Hood, Oregon.

Good morning, Frank. What is the latest from there?

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well the latest, Paula, is that seven people remain hospitalized, four of them climbers, three of them helicopter crew members, but the incredible story really is those three remaining helicopter crew members who are hospitalized. None of them have suffered life-threatening injuries. All of them are expected to survive.

We've all seen the video by now, the helicopter moving in to place, to rescue the stranded climbers. Two of them had already been extricated by helicopter. One of them remained. He was being hooked up. Something went terribly wrong with the helicopter. It was broadcast live on local and national television.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look out. Look out, guys. There we are, talking about things going wrong. Hang on, fellows. Oh, my goodness. Oh, that is horrible. Good Lord.

Oh, fellows. Oh, my goodness.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And again, an incredible experience on the ground for the rescuers who are hooking up a third climber, a terrifying experience for them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We flew two of them out by the first two helicopters that came in. The third one came down as we were giving them the windup signal for the cable. We were hunched over protecting our patients. I felt the rotor wash (ph) kind of dissipate. At which point, I looked up, the cable was falling out of the helicopter, and the helicopter's rotors started hitting the wall. Things flew everywhere, started rolling down the hill, bodies rolling out, basically the most incredible thing I've ever witnessed in my life.

(END VIDEO CLIP) BUCKLEY: One of the most incredible things that any of us have witnessed. The rescue attempts continued after the terrible helicopter crash.

Again, everyone who was alive taken off the mountain. There is one climber who remains, one of the original of three deceased climbers, in that crevasse. It's expected that he will be removed sometime this morning. Four climbers remain hospitalized. Three helicopter crewmen remain hospitalized, but the most serious of the injuries is one of the crew members who is listed in serious condition -- Paula.

ZAHN: Still, I tell you, Frank, to see those pictures, it's a miracle that anyone walked away from that helicopter. It's stunning to see that. Thanks so much for the update.

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