All climbers found alive on Mount Hood, officials say

Story Highlights

• All climbers located as rescuers try to bring them down from mountain
• Climbers wore homing devices that helped rescuers find them
• Team was well equipped, according to officials

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MOUNT HOOD, Oregon (CNN) -- All eight climbers who went missing earlier Sunday on Mount Hood have been located, rescue officials said.

Two of the climbers who fell off a mountain ledge suffered minor injuries, but all others were unharmed, according to Russell Gubele, command officer for Mountain Wave Search and Rescue.

The accident occurred in white-out conditions at an altitude of more than 8,300 feet in the area of Illumination Saddle, said the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, which got news of the missing climbers shortly before noon (3 p.m. ET).

The climbing teams were well-equipped with adequate clothing and climbing equipment and mountain locator units, electronic devices intended to enable rescuers to pinpoint a climber's location, according to Jim Strovink, a spokesman for the sheriff's office.

The five climbers who called about their three missing colleagues were found late Sunday afternoon in snow caves and rescuers began the process of getting them down the mountain, Gubele said.

A short time after the first group of five was reached, the searchers pinpointed the location of the others, Gubele said.

In addition to the sheriff's office, American Medical Response, Portland Mountain Rescue and Mountain Wave Communication Specialists were involved in the search.

Sunday's incident marked at least the second climbing expedition to require rescue in the past few months on Mount Hood. (Read the full story)

After a long search in December, rescuers gave up efforts to save a party of three climbers who went missing on the mountain. Only one of the climbers was found -- in the snow cave where he had sought shelter and apparently died.

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