British climber Felix Joseph Kiernan killed at Yosemite
- Published
A British man has died in a rock climbing accident on a mountain in Yosemite National Park in the US.
Felix Joseph Kiernan, 28, from London, was on the East Buttress of El Capitan on Sunday afternoon when he was struck by a rock dislodged by his climbing partner.
Mr Kiernan was about 600ft (180m) up the route in the California park when he was hit by the rock.
Park Rangers reached him about two hours later and pronounced him dead.
El Capitan is a popular climbing route in Yosemite Valley.
A spokesman from the national park said Mr Kiernan's climbing partner, who is also from England, was climbing above him at about 14:00 local time (20:00 BST) when he stepped on the loose rock.
The loose block, estimated to be 1ft by 2ft (30x60cm), fell about 150ft (45m) before striking Mr Kiernan and causing fatal injuries.
A second group climbing just below Kiernan immediately called the Yosemite Emergency Communication Center on a mobile phone.
Yosemite Park Rangers and Yosemite Search and Rescue staff were immediately dispatched to El Capitan.