2 climbers suffering from hypothermia await rescue off Denali, North America's tallest mountain

Two climbers awaited rescue near the peak of North America's tallest mountain Wednesday, a day after they and a third climber in their team requested help after summiting Denali during the busiest time of the mountaineering season.

Two climbers awaited rescue near the peak of North America's tallest mountain Wednesday, a day after they and a third climber in their team requested help after summiting Denali during the busiest time of the mountaineering season, officials at Denali National Park and Preserve said.

Their condition was not immediately known. The third climber was rescued late Tuesday. All three had listed experience on high-elevation international peaks on their climbing histories, and two had prior history on Denali, park spokesperson Paul Ollig said in an email to The Associated Press.

Park rangers received an SOS message from the three at 1 a.m. Tuesday, indicating the climbers were hypothermic and unable to descend after reaching the 20,310-foot (6,190-metre) summit.

They remained in communication until around 3:30 a.m., when they texted plans to descend to a flat area known as the "Football Field" at around 19,600 feet (5,974 metres), the park service said in a statement.

Rangers did not hear back from the climbers after that, and the location of their satellite communication device didn't change. Cloud cover prevented the park's high-altitude helicopter from flying about 50 miles (80 kilometres) from the community of Talkeetna to Denali Tuesday morning, so the park requested help from the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center. The Alaska Air National Guard flew an HC-130J airplane from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage to look for the climbers.

Two of the climbers were located between the 19,000- and 20,000-foot (5,791- and 6,096 metre) level of the mountain before noon Tuesday. The third climber was seen by a climbing guide at about 18,600 feet (5,669 metres).

Conditions cleared enough Tuesday evening for the high-altitude helicopter to make another attempt, and it landed at a camp for climbers at 14,200 feet (4,328-metres).