Four hikers have died in Mexico after falling from 16,400 feet while climbing Pico de Orizaba – an active volcano and the country’s highest mountain
- Hugo Cruz; Jose Sepagua; Carlos Altamirano; and Humberto Muray died in a climbing accident on Pico de Orizaba in Mexico on Sunday
- According to preliminary reports, one of the climbers slipped and fell before taking the rest of the group with him
- At 18,491 feet above sea level, Pico de Orizaba, also known by its indigenous name Citlaltépetl, is Mexico’s tallest mountain
Four Mexican men were killed in a hiking accident on Pico de Orizaba on Saturday, authorities in the central state of Puebla said.
The climbers were scaling the active volcano—the country’s highest peak and third in North America—when they plummeted some 16,400 feet.
Puebla’s Civil Defense said the climbing accident occurred on the south side of the volcanic mountain – also known by its indigenous name Citlaltépetl – in the municipality of Atzizitla.
According to a preliminary report, the accident was caused by one of the hikers slipping and falling, taking the other three with him.
José Sepagua and three other climbers were accidentally killed Sunday while climbing Pico de Orizaba, an active volcano in Mexico
Carlos Altamirano is among four hikers who died in a climbing accident on Pico de Orizaba, an active volcano in Mexico
According to a preliminary report, Humberto Muray and three other climbers were killed in an accident on Pico de Orizaba on Sunday after one of the men slipped and fell, dragging the group about 16,400 feet down the volcano, Mexico’s highest mountain and third in North America
The victims were identified as Hugo Cruz, 19; Jose Sepagua, 63; Carlos Altamirano, 53; and Humberto Muray, who is said to be 56 years old.
Images released by Puebla’s Civil Defense showed rescue workers, including the Mexican Red Cross, trying to extricate the bodies from a loose, rocky outcrop below an even steeper slope.
The bodies of Altamirano and Muray were recovered on Sunday.
Red Cross footage showed volunteers carrying the bodies of Cruz and Sepagua after they were taken away around 4am Monday.
Sunday’s incident is the first fatal accident on Pico de Orizaba, which rises to 18,619 feet above sea level and borders the states of Puebla and Veracruz, since June 16, 2022.
Rescue workers from the state of Puebla and the Mexican Red Cross have recovered the bodies of four hikers who died in a climbing accident on Pico de Orizaba on Sunday
At 18,619 feet above sea level, Pico de Orizaba is Mexico’s highest mountain. It lies between the states of Puebla and Veracruz
Mexico’s Red Cross said a rescue mission to recover all of the climbers was completed around 4 a.m. Monday when two bodies were removed from Pico de Orizaba, an active volcano and the country’s highest mountain
Abraham Cruz of Bolivia fell from 150 meters, which authorities blamed on him not using proper climbing equipment.
In 2018, the US Embassy in Mexico said a member of the US diplomatic mission had died while climbing the mountain.
In November 2017, another American climber died and seven others were rescued on the mountain.
Earlier this year, 31-year-old Perla Tijerina from Mexico lived on Pico de Orizaba for 31 days as part of a personal challenge to test her mental toughness and personal resolve.