Body recovered from volcano crater

SEATTLE, Washington - The body of a veteran climber who fell 450 metres into the crater atop the Mount St Helens volcano was recovered today after he spent more than a day in the snow, authorities said.

Clouds and wind had hampered efforts to reach Joseph Bohlig, 52, who was posing for a picture on the rim of the dormant crater yesterday when a snow overhang gave way and he fell into the volcano.

"We're sorry that he's gone, that he didn't make it," said Richard Bohlig, the climber's 84-year-old father. "He was doing something he enjoyed very much. That's all I can say."

Family members had gathered in Bohlig's hometown of Kelso, Washington state, to await word on the search.

Earlier in the day, Bohlig said his son was an avid mountaineer who had climbed peaks in many countries, but Mount St Helens was his home mountain.

"He used to go up even before the eruption as a child, play in the snow and that," he said.

A Navy helicopter found Bohlig on its second pass of the day at the mountain.

The weather cleared long enough to spot his body, which had been partially covered by snowfall, Skamania County Undersheriff David Cox said.

Cox said an autopsy would be conducted to determine if Bohlig died of injuries, hypothermia or a combination of factors.

Bohlig had taken off a layer of clothing to cool down after reaching the summit and likely wasn't protected against subfreezing overnight temperatures, Cox said.

Two attempts to reach Bohlig by helicopter yesterday were turned back by winds and fading daylight after crews spotted him.

He had reached the summit with his friend Scott Salkovics after a four-hour hike. Bohlig took off his backpack and some clothing then decided to pose for pictures.

Salkovics told KGW that Bohlig handed a camera to another hiker and was backing up when the snow gave way and he fell. The hiker threw himself toward Bohlig but couldn't catch him.

"Boom, it busted off and I saw him clawing for the edge with a startled look on his face, and then he disappeared," Salkovics told the TV station.

Salkovics threw a backpack down to his friend, but Cox said Bohlig was not able to reach it.

Bohlig was alive and blowing a rescue whistle soon after the fall. He had climbed the volcano 68 times before the accident, Cox said.

The volcano, about 160 kilometres south of Seattle, exploded in a massive eruption in 1980 but has been quiet in recent years.

The US Forest Service said the climbing route provides views of the crater, lava dome and eruption area. Most climbers can complete the round trip in seven to 12 hours.

The trail reaches an elevation of 8,365 feet (2,550 metres). Climbers are advised to stay well back from the rim due to its instability.

North Country Emergency Medical Services Chief Tom McDowell, who has been with the local emergency agency for 39 years, said the only other time a person fell from the rim was in 2008 when a snow cornice gave way under a snowmobiler.

That person was rescued by a helicopter and suffered a knee injury.

About 13,000 people climb the mountain each year.

- AP