Two Oregon women died after falling from Oregon’s Mount Hood, officials said on Monday, Aug. 14.
According to the Clackamas County Sheriff’s Office, the bodies of Emma C. Place and Emily D. Lang, who are both from Portland, were discovered Saturday about 150 feet below a cliff on the Pacific Crest Trail. Both were 19.
“It looked like a freak accident,” said Steve Rollins, rescue leader of Portland Mountain Rescue, according to The Oregonian. “A really sad freak accident.”
The office said that it hasn’t been able to find anyone who witnessed the fall.
Passing hikers called 911 on Saturday to report seeing the bodies, the sheriff’s office said.
Both teens were students at St. Mary’s Academy in Portland.
“Our hearts are heavy today as we mourn the recent loss of two St. Mary’s students. Emily Lang ‘16 and Emma Place ’16 were hiking together Saturday, August 12 and experienced a tragic accident. Our prayers, blessings and deepest condolences are with the family and friends of Emily and Emma,” the school wrote in a statement.
Mount Hood, which is more than 11,000 feet in height, is the tallest mountain in Oregon.
Two other people died on Mount Hood this year.
The Sheriff’s Office said that the families of Place and Lang were notified.
