Yosemite Rockslide Kills 1

One person was killed and four others injured by a rockslide in California's Yosemite National Park. The boulders fell Sunday night near a section of the park called Glacier Point.

More than 1,000 campers had to be evacuated but were allowed to return Monday morning.

CBS News Correspondent Steve Hartman happened to be camped nearby when the rocks started to fall. He and his family were having dinner Sunday "when we heard this loud thunder sound, louder than thunder. We looked up on the edge of the mountain. There was this huge gray cloud with boulders popping out from it."

Hartman walked toward the wall and saw a climber running from the woods, yelling, "My buddy is dead! My buddy is dead!"

Hartman says the area where the tragedy occurred is known for its rockslides and climbers are warned not to explore the area. It's so dangerous that its nickname is "The Bowling Alley."

The slide occurred about 7:35 p.m. when rocks broke loose from the western shoulder of the Glacier Point apron, spokesman Bob Roney said.

The fatality and injuries occurred in a mostly undeveloped site at an employee housing area. Those hurt may have been walking or hiking at the time beneath Glacier Point, Yosemite spokeswoman Christine Cowles said.

Jerry Bickford, a front desk clerk at the Curry Village Lodge, said he ran outside when he heard the slide about 300 yards away. He said all he could see was a giant cloud of dust.

"The first thing that goes through your mind is that it's thunder, but then the sky is blue so you know it's not that," he said. "The dust is still out there and now it's dark. Everything's covered in a film of white granite dust."

It was the third major slide in Yosemite in the past three years.

Last November, about 500 park employees and visitors were evacuated from the same village when rocks fell more than 3,000 feet from Glacier Point to the Yosemite Valley floor. There were no injuries or major damage.

The village, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, is a popular spot for campers and has an outdoor ice skating rink.