2 killed, 5 rescued after avalanche at Idaho ski resort
Two people died and five were rescued after an avalanche at an Idaho ski resort, authorities said. The Silver Mountain Resort said all the skiers have been accounted for and later announced that the resort would be closed Wednesday.
The resort said the first of three separate avalanches happened around 11 a.m on Tuesday on Wardner Peak, a 6,200-foot mountain near the Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg.
After an urgent search with rescue dogs and probes, five people were recovered with minor injuries, officials said. A sixth person recovered did not make it. The seventh person, who also died, was found hours later.
"The sheriff's office can confirm that five individuals were rescued and two were recovered from an avalanche on Silver Mountain today," the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office said in a statement Wednesday. "Our deepest condolences go out to all the family and friends affected by this tragic event."
The resort received a call at 7:30 a.m on Wednesday from a concerned family member about a missing person who was skiing at the time of the avalanche. "An intense search is currently underway with Silver Mountain Ski Patrol as well as multiple teams and dog units from various agencies," the resort said.
The incident shocked locals and longtime visitors.
"This is really the first time I've ever heard of it even happening around the Silver Valley in general," Garyk McGillvary, a resort worker told CBS affiliate KMVT-TV. "We rarely have anything really bad like this happening."
