A 21-year-old man is dead after being pinned under a rock off Highway 2 near Index, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators say the man was scrambling across a rockfield near Heybrook Lookout when a rock fell on him.
He was with three other friends hiking the back side of Heybrook Lookout, just off the logging road, according to Snohomish County Fire District 7. The rock that fell on him was about half the size of an SUV, investigators said.
His friends were able to call 911 and first responders used a rope system to move the rock and free the man but he died from his injuries.
The is the second time this spring rescuers have had to free a hiker from a fallen rock in Fire District 7. Heather Chadwick, the public information officer for Fire District 7, said the wet winter has made hiking extremely dangerous.
"We urge anyone enjoying the sunshine, stay on the trails," she said. "We've had a very wet winter so the rocks and the dirt are very unstable. You don't know when it's going to give way."
The man's identity will be released by the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office.