Five skiers and snowboarders were rescued from a frigid slope at a California ski resort after a powerful avalanche left them trapped.
Five skiers and snowboarders were rescued from a frigid slope at a California ski resort after a powerful avalanche left them trapped and buried in snow.
Guests at the Squaw Valley Ski Resort reported an inbounds avalanche just before 2 p.m. Friday — sparking response from nearly 100 police officers, firefighters and ski patrol members from Squaw Valley and nearby communities, officials said in a press release.
With the help of a few search and rescue dogs and guests at the ski resort, responders successfully rescued five resort guests — three women and two men — from the snow. Witnesses who saw the start of the avalanche were able to pinpoint where people were buried.
One skier at the resort, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Mercury News at least three people had to be dug out of the snow amid the search and rescue efforts.
Firefighters took one of the rescued guests to North Tahoe Forest Hospital with a serious lower body injury, while another was taken to Truckee hospital and released short time later. The other three people were not injured.
Officials are investigating what exactly caused the avalanche, which could have been sparked by a winter storm that dumped 32 inches of snow in the area over the course of 24 hours.
An additional foot of snow is expected by Saturday and an avalanche warning was issued for portions of the greater Tahoe area through Saturday morning.
Ahead of the avalanche, the body of a missing snowboarder was discovered in the Squaw Creek area of the ski resort.
Wenyu Zhang was last seen Thursday late afternoon, when she used her season pass to scan onto a chairlift.
