British climber killed by rock fall in California

A British climber was crushed to death by falling rocks that buried him alongside his partner in California’s Yosemite National Park, officials said.

The Welsh holidaymaker and the woman were trapped when almost 750 tons of rock fell from the face of the El Capitan monolith, the National Park Service announced yesterday.

The woman was in a “critical condition” last night after being airlifted to hospital, Yosemite park ranger and spokesman Scott Gediman said. The pair are believed to have been scouting out the ascent from a trail when a “sheet” of granite around 130ft (40metres) by 65ft (20metres) fell from a height of 650ft (200metres).