St. Paul Man Among 6 Feared Dead on Mount Rainier

ELKO, Minn. (AP) - A relative says a mountain climber from St. Paul is among the six presumed to have died in a fall on Mount Rainier in Washington state.

Rob Mahaney says the family is trying to keep hope alive for his 26-year-old nephew, Mark Mahaney. But he told The Associated Press on Sunday they recognize the prognosis is grim.

Officials haven't identified any of the six yet, but Rob Mahaney says Mark was among them. He says when they failed to return on schedule Friday, the climbing company notified park officials.

Officials believe the group fell 3,300 feet in an area so susceptible to ice fall and rock fall that the bodies may never be recovered.

Rob Mahaney recalls that even as a toddler, Mark was always climbing out of his crib.