Three Latvian climbers died after falling near Denali Pass on Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska's Denali National Park and Preserve on Wednesday, May 27, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. The climbers who died were identified as Inese Pučeka, Vija Olte, and Renārs Kunigs-Salaks [1, 2, 3].
A fourth member of the same seven-person Latvian expedition fell in the same incident and was rescued from a mountain basin at approximately 17,200 feet (5,243 meters) on Thursday, May 28, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4]. The survivor, Mārtiņš Bilzēns, was in critical condition and was transported first to Kahiltna Base Camp before being airlifted by helicopter to a hospital [1, 2, 3, 4].
The accident took place about 2,100 feet (640 meters) below Denali’s 20,310-foot (6,190-meter) summit, near Denali Pass, placing the fall site around 18,200 feet (5,547 meters) elevation [1, 2, 3, 4]. The remaining three members of the expedition, who did not fall, assisted their teammates before returning to a high camp near 17,000 feet altitude [1, 2, 3, 4].
The National Park Service shifted the response from search and rescue to recovery operations on May 29 following the survivor's evacuation [1, 2, 4].
The Latvian Mountaineering Association described the deaths as "an indescribably painful and irreversible loss for the entire Latvian climbing community" and said, "It is with the deepest sadness that we announce that three of our friends, talented and experienced climbers, have lost their lives on the icy slopes of this mountain" [1, 2, 3, 4].
Denali, also known as Mount McKinley, is North America's highest peak at 20,310 feet (6,190 meters) [1, 2, 3, 4]. The rescue and recovery efforts on Alaska’s tallest mountain continue in difficult terrain and weather conditions.
