Coast Guard saves man who fell 800 feet into Oregon volcanic crater

A man was rescued Monday afternoon by the Coast Guard after he fell 800 feet into Oregon's Crater Lake, officials announced Tuesday.

Crater Lake National Park rangers called the Coast Guard at 3:47 p.m. to report the accident, and "the aircrew was hovering above the injured man within 15 minutes of arriving on scene," the Coast Guard said in a statement. Using a rope, they were able to hoist the man out of the volcanic crater and into the helicopter. The Coast Guard did not share the man's identity, the extent of his injuries, or how he fell into the crater.

Crater Lake National Park released a statement in May urging visitors to stay back from the edge of the caldera. "A few times every year, visitors get too close and fall, often resulting in severe injury or death," the park said. "Rocks and snow near the edge of the caldera are unstable and may give way without warning. Overhangs of snow called cornices build up over the winter, and it might look like you're standing on solid ground when you're actually standing on a thin layer of snow hanging over air."

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