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A pair of climbers remain stranded near the summit of Denali, North America's highest mountain, as bad weather has forced rescuers to halt their attempts to reach them.
The National Park Service said that a team of three experienced climbers from Malaysia scaled the 23,310-foot peak earlier in the week. However, on Tuesday (May 28) night, they sent out a distress signal and said they were "exhausted and hypothermic."
One of the climbers managed to reach a camp at 17,200 feet and was taken to the hospital in serious condition. The other two climbers remained trapped in a snow cave at 19,600 feet.
Unfortunately, bad weather has prevented rescue teams from reaching the climbers.
"Clouds and high winds on the upper mountain prevented ground teams from moving any higher than the 17,200-foot high camp on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, a ground crew of NPS rangers and mountaineering volunteers at high camp remains on standby to move higher on the mountain once winds abate," the National Park Service said in a news release.
Officials said that a high-altitude rescue helicopter is on standby and ready to go as soon as the weather conditions improve.