MONTOUR COUNTY, Pa. — A tragic fall down an icy cliff in Montour County left a college student dead.
Rescuers sprang into action to save the person with him.
"You can see even the rock ledge now is totally covered in ice and she was just in that little crevice," said Chief Jon Stassel of the Riverside Southside Fire Company.
Off the side of Sharp Ridge Road in Mayberry Township, near Elysburg, Chief Jon Stassel with Southside Fire Company in Riverside showed us where he first was positioned when the call came in Friday afternoon.
"From here, she's probably about 40 feet, I'm gonna say from here to where she was," said Stassel.
"Apparently she made her own 911 call from the side of the cliff," said Assistant Chief Erik Santor of Ralpho Fire Company in Shamokin.
Officials say Kyra DeStefano, a student at Bloomsburg University, held on for her life, suspended in a tree.
"I believe she was holding on to a root, that's the only thing I could think that's there, I don't see anything else," said Chief Stassel.
Meanwhile, a fellow student, Gregory Anstine, from York, succumbed to his injuries from the fall.
"A person that fell over the cliff, one still hanging on the edge of the cliff...my concerns were how much longer can she hold on," said Chief Dennis Kroh of Elysburg Fire Company.
Chief Dennis Kroh with the Elysburg Fire Company was the first to reach the girl, hanging on for her life.
Kroh says five fire departments and three police stations across Montour and Northumberland Counties sprang into action.
"I started to rappel down to her. I kept telling her, listen, we're gonna get you out of here," said Chief Kroh.
"Once we knew we had her secured, then it was up to the guys up top to finish it off, get the stokes basket down. It was slippery," said Michael Timco, Elysburg Firefighter.
"I knew it was going to be difficult, there was absolutely zero traction, zero footing, even getting to the area we could see the victim. And that alone is something you don't train for and don't prepare for. I mean, trying to do a rescue on an ice skating rink vertically was basically what it was," said Assistant Chief Santor.
"Even on flat surfaces, the ice would not allow you to stand. Everybody was crawling around on it. It was actually one of the worst rescue situations I've ever been in in my 20 years," said Chief Joseph Stigerwalt of Danville Fire Department.
Rescuers say the whole area going up the hill was pure ice on Friday. They laid down kitty litter and salt along the way to help them up the hill.
"The distance from where she was, down the cliff, is a distance of about 300 feet or the length of a football field," said Chief Stigerwalt.
The rescuers say once the girl was rescued, they themselves had to make it to safety.
"We were very thankful that the young lady was able to hang on and the rescuers were able to scoop her up," said Chief Stassel.
Chief Jon Stassel was the first to find the other victim farther down, who died.
"It's always difficult. Let me not cry."
But the responders say they're thankful they all came together to save a life that day.
"Everybody worked extremely well together," said Chief Stassel.
State police are now investigating.
Bloomsburg University sent us the following statement:
"The BU community is saddened by the passing of Greg, and we ask everyone to keep his family and friends in their thoughts during this time."
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