At least one person died on Tuesday and five skiers were rescued with minor injuries after an avalanche at an Idaho ski resort, according to authorities. The complex said the avalanche occurred around 11 am in the Wardner Peak area.
A sixth person was found buried and transported to a hospital, but his condition was not disclosed in a statement from the Silver Mountain ski resort. The NBC KHQ affiliate of Spokane, Washington, reported that there were two dead in the avalanche.
The Shoshone County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Tuesday night that "ten people were rescued and two were recovered." Silver Mountain said it would not comment further out of respect for families.
"The indications indicate that now all skiers are responsible. Silver Mountain extends our deepest condolences to all those affected," said the resort, which is the northern part of the state, in a Facebook post Tuesday night.
The Silver Mountain Ski Patrol, the Shoshone County Sheriff Search and Rescue Office and the Shoshone County Volunteer Search and Rescue were involved. The search for the missing involved dogs and probes. A skier familiar with the area described Wardner Peak as a very steep terrain for experts.
The National Weather Service issued an avalanche warning inside the country that was transmitted on behalf of the Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center just after 8 am Tuesday, and the warning was in effect until 6 am Wednesday. The warning did not apply to local ski areas in the forecast region.
Mark Turner, a meteorologist at the Spokane office of the meteorological service, which is located near the border between Washington and Idaho, said the warning was triggered by the recent conditions of heavy snow and winds that increased the danger of an avalanche, especially in rural areas
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