Published: 9/22/2020 11:02:48 AM
A Massachusetts climber died when a tumbling boulder severed his rope, causing him to fall 150 feet while climbing on Cannon Cliff in Franconia Notch State Park, conservation officers said.
Several people saw the climber fall late Sunday afternoon and called for help, but the man’s body couldn’t be recovered until Monday morning. The climber was identified as Benjamin Kessel, 34 of Somerville, Massachusetts, officials said.
Kessel was climbing up the cliff when a rock the size of a refrigerator dislodged and sliced his rope, officials said. Rescuers had to be lowered down from the top of the cliff to retrieve Kessel’s body.