California climber dies in fall at Zion National Park in Utah

(Reuters) - A climber from California died at Zion National Park in Utah after falling backward and tumbling 80 feet (24 metres) down a sleep slope, Park Service officials said on Tuesday. Christopher Spencer, 47, and a climbing partner on Sunday set out to conquer "Iron Messiah" and Spencer was not roped in when he fell and struck a series of ledges, the National Park Service said in a statement. Medics reached Spencer and stabilized him before transporting him to a hospital, where he died of his injuries, the Park Service said. Spencer was the fourth person to die in an accident at Zion National Park in 2014. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)