Three people fell to their deaths Sunday while rock climbing in Washington state, likely because of an equipment failure, authorities said. A fourth climber in their group survived the ordeal.The climbers were descending a steep gully in the northern section of Early Winter Spire,

Authorities said the cause of the fall is believed to be anchor failure while the climbers rappelled a steep gulley.

Many details about what led up to the fall still aren’t known, said Cristina Woodworth, who leads the sheriff’s search and rescue team. But all four climbers appeared to be tied to the same piton when it failed.