An unidentified man fell 800 feet into the caldera of Crater Lake in Oregon—and survived.
Shortly before 4 p.m. on Monday, June 10, the Coast Guard’s North Bend Sector received a call from the National Park Services reporting a man had fallen into the caldera of Crater Lake near Rims Village, officials said in a press release.
By the time the Coast Guard arrived around 4:30 p.m., the District 3 Technical Rope Rescue Team was already 600 feet down the caldera, according to the press release.
The District 3 team reported they could hear a man yelling from further down into the caldera for help.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter with the Coast Guard was able to hoist the man out of the caldera. He was then taken to a hospital in Bend, Oregon, for his injuries.
The man’s condition and the extent of his injuries are unknown at this time.
It is also unknown how the man, who has not been identified, fell into the caldera.
The Crater Lake National Park recently made a post on its Facebook page reminding visitors to be careful while visiting the park.
“Please obey all signs and park regulations when visiting Crater Lake. They are there for a reason, usually for your safety or for the protection of precious park resources such as the lake, plants, historic structures, or wildlife,” the post reads.
In early May, the park’s Facebook page warned visitors about the unstable condition near the edge: “Rocks and snow near the edge of the caldera are unstable and may give way without warning.”
“Entering the caldera is prohibited under federal law. A few times every year, visitors get too close and fall, often resulting in severe injury or death,” Crater Lake National Park Search and Rescue Rangers wrote in the same Facebook post last month.
“Rangers are trained to rescue these individuals, but it may take hours to reach them and puts us at risk too.”
Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States with a depth of 1,943 feet, according to the National Park Service. The lake rests in the center of a dormant volcano that once stood over 12,000 feet tall, according to the site.
Crater Lake is said to be “the cleanest and clearest large body of water in the world” by scientists, as it is regularly fed by rain and snow, according to the National Park Service.
