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Malaysian Climber Who Died Near North America’s Tallest Peak Identified

A National Park spokesman said the climber likely died of exposure when he became trapped near the summit of Mount Denali.

Authorities have identified the Malaysian climber who likely died of exposure this week near Denali, North America’s tallest mountain, in Alaska. Zulkifli Bin Yusof, 36, likely died Wednesday after sheltering for days in a cave about 19,600 ft above ground, Denali National Park spokesman Paul Ollig said Saturday. Park rangers recovered Bin Yusof’s body Friday night, Ollig added. The late climber was one of a three-man team from Malaysia that became trapped in poor weather conditions on the mountain on Tuesday, when all of them developed hypothermia and were unable to descend after reaching the summit. One of the teammates was rescued on Tuesday night after descending to camp at 17,200 ft, and the other was rescued Friday morning. All three of the men had experience climbing other high-elevation mountains, Ollig said, and two of them had climbed Denali before. The names of Bin Yusof’s surviving teammates were not released.