Four US climbers fell 400ft down a ravine. One climbed out to drive to a payphone

Climber hiked to car in dark and and called for help after group of four scaled peak in Washington state mountains

A rock climber who fell an estimated 400ft while descending a steep gully in Washington's North Cascades mountains survived the fall that killed his three companions, hiked to his car in the dark and then drove to a payphone to call for help, authorities said on Tuesday.

The surviving climber, who has not been publicly identified, extricated himself from a tangle of ropes, helmets and other equipment after the accident and made the trek despite suffering internal bleeding and head trauma, Okanogan county undersheriff Dave Yarnell said.