A climber from Wales was killed and his female partner seriously injured by a rockslide in Yosemite National Park in California.
They were trapped after a section of rock, described as being the size of an apartment block, fell from the El Capitan rock formation and crashed onto a popular trail.
The unidentified pair, found with climbing equipment, are believed to have been scouting out the ascent from the trail when a “sheet” of granite plummeted from a height of 656ft.
They were reportedly crushed by 1,300 tons of debris which broke away in a series of rockfalls over seven hours yesterday.
The woman remains in a “critical condition” after being airlifted from the collapse, park officials said.
El Capitan is the world’s largest granite monolith standing at 4,000ft and one of the best-known landmarks in Yosemite.
A park spokesman told The Times: “The victims were in the park to rock climb but were not climbing at the time of the rockfall.
He confirmed that the man was from Wales but did not know the woman’s nationality.
They were thought to have been part of a climbing group and the only people injured.
At least 30 climbers were on the El Capitan monolith when the huge chunk or rock broke away.
The man was later named as Andrew Foster, 32, who was trapped with his partner, believed to be his wife.