American climbers rescued from Orizaba's Peak

Five American mountain climbers were trapped in the highest area of the volcano Orizaba´s Peak – Mexico's tallest mountain – which immediately mobilized local authorities of Veracruz and Puebla, and even the Mexican Army and Navy.

According to the Civil Protection General Direction of Puebla, authorities were alerted on Saturday afternoon of five climbers who were allegedly injured and stranded in the area of the volcano known as the Sarcophagus, at 5,200m above sea level .

Several rescue and first-aid groups were dispatched to the area and an overflight performed by the Mexican Navy spotted the victims, yet given the bad weather conditions at the time, the men couldn't be rescued.

On Saturday night, the first two climbers were rescued by ground while yesterday morning the Mexican Navy rescued other two by air. The last climber was rescued on Sunday afternoon, together with one of the rescuers who was injured after a fall.

According to medical reports, Cody Brundidge, 33, and Alex Palombo, 25, were the climbers who suffered the worst injuries, both with ankle fractures and, in the case of Palombo, a rib fracture, and both have since been transferred to the Orthopedics and Traumatology Hospital Dr. Rafael Moreno Valle in Puebla. The other three climbers suffered minor injuries.

The Direction of Civil Protection informed they are currently working on rescuing, in another area of the volcano, two Guatemalan climbers not connected to the American group.

Last week, two American mountain climbers were reported missing by the U.S. Embassy in Mexico and sadly only one of them was found alive.

Given the recent wave of incidents in the mountain, the governments of Puebla and Veracruz , together with the Ministry of National Defense, announced they will activate an inspection protocol at the access routes of Orizaba's Peal to prevent groups without the proper equipment or experience from climbing the mountain.

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