Fedor Lounev, 07-23-97

Anchorage Daily News
Friday, July 25, 1997

NATIONAL PARK OFFICIALS IDENTIFY DROWNED CLIMBER
The Associated Press
Denali Park ---A Russian climber who drown Wednesday while trying to cross a river in Denali National Park and Preserve has been indentified, park officials say.

Fedor Lounev, 39, of Moscow, had recently reached the top of North America's highest peak.

He was swept away around noon while trying to cross the swollen McKinley River about three miles south of Wonder Lake, his partner reported. The river is known to be dangerous, park officials said, and the area has received more than 11/2 inches of rain in the last week. The surviving climber, whose name has not been released, said Lounev was swept downstream for two or three minutes.

The survivor was able to reach Lounev and pull him to a gravel bar. But despite cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Lounev died.

The survivor ran and hiked to the park road and reported the incident to a bus driver. Park rangers were quickly ferried to the site by helicopter, but were not able to resuscitate Lounev.