A hiker who died in Mount Rainier National Park after falling through a snow bridge has been identified.
Jiahui Huang, 29, of Seattle, died June 15 in the Paradise area. His body was found the following day beneath 8 to 10 feet of snow at the bottom of a steep drainage.
Huang’s hiking companion called 911 about 4:20 p.m. to report Huang had broken through the snow.
Rangers responded and spotted him through a hole in the snow, about 60 feet below where Huang fell. The terrain was too hazardous to recover his body in the dark, so 16 rangers and volunteers returned the following afternoon.
Huang’s body was pulled from a trench at the base of a snow-covered waterfall that is fed by snowmelt.
Park officials warned that water flowing beneath snow is one of the greatest hazards this time of year and urged hikers to take the following precautions:
