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Colorado Man Rescued From Utah Rock Climbing Fall

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A 30-year-old rock climber is in the hospital and is expected to recover after he was struck by a falling chunk of sandstone over the weekend.

The Kane County Sheriff's Office said in a Sunday statement the Colorado man began climbing Lake Powell's Gregory Butte Saturday morning. Officials say he fell to the end of his rope after grabbing a faulty rock anchor.

They say he was hanging on by his harness when a rock loosened by the anchor fell from above, hitting his helmet.

The climber's friends called police from a boat below.

A team of police agencies reached the man by helicopter before flying him to a hospital in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Officials say the experienced climber had serious injuries but did not give further details.

(© Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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