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Wash. jumper dangling from cliff rescued

SEATTLE, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- A man who was stranded overnight when he parachuted from a cliff on Mount Baring near Seattle was rescued Tuesday, officials said.

The unidentified man, 44, of Lynwood, is a BASE jumper (someone who parachutes from buildings, antennae, spans, or earth) and was attempting a memorial jump in tribute to a Bothell woman who died July 25 when her parachute didn't open during a BASE jump in the same location, KIRO-TV, Seattle, reported.

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The man, who was trapped and dangled hundreds of feet above ground, was lifted to safety and flown off the mountain, authorities said.

The man called 911 from his cell phone Monday night, the station reported, saying during the jump from Mount Baring's summit, his parachute lines got caught on a "chimney" rock outcropping at an altitude of 5,700 feet, Snohomish County Sheriff's Office Lt. Lang said.

The jumper, awaiting rescue, hung by his straps 600 feet above ground for hours, a Snohomish County corporal said.

Officials said he suffered only minor cuts and bruises.

The man, conscious and talking, was rescued Tuesday morning by a ground team -- after a helicopter rescue team was unsuccessful -- and flown to a hospital.

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