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UPDATE: Search Suspended For Missing Mount Rainier Climber After Body Spotted

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By NPT Staff - June 13th, 2015

Editor's note: This updates with the search effort being suspended in light of a climber's body being spotted near the summit of Mount Rainier and retrieval efforts underway.

Liberty Ridge, Mount Rainier National Park

Liberty Ridge at Mount Rainier National Park/NPS

A body spotted near the summit of Mount Rainier on Saturday appeared to match that of a missing climber.

Mount Rainier National Park officials said in light of the discovery, the search for Kyle Bufis, 25, of Utah, was being suspended while rangers retrieved the body. Official identification of the remains were pending with the Pierce County Medical Examiner.

Bufis was a member of an independent three-person climbing team. He went missing near Liberty Saddle on Mount Rainier at approximately 9 p.m. on Thursday after climbing the challenging Liberty Ridge route on the north flank of Mount Rainier, park officials said. The other two members of the climbing team, Derek Gavelis and Mathew Wiech, descended to Camp Schurman of their own accord late the next day. Both were tired, but in good physical condition.

It was a bit more than a year ago when another climbing team that tackled Liberty Ridge met tragedy when an avalanche killed six climbers.

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