Three dead, eight missing after Washington avalanche
Three people have been reported dead and at least eight others are missing after an avalanche struck near a Washington state ski resort.
King County sheriff’s Sgt. Cindi West told The Associated Press that she was warned that an avalanche had struck near the Stevens Pass ski area just after noon on Sunday.
It had been initially reported that there had only been two deaths, West said, but it was later confirmed that three have in fact died.
SeattlePI reported that the avalanche happened near Highway 2 and somehow involved a van, although the direct cause has not yet been identified. The highway is now closed and is not expected to reopen for an unspecific amount of time.
West said that rescue pursuits are en route.
The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center released a warning for high avalanche danger for areas above 5,000 feet after the area suffered a heavy snow storm Saturday evening. It said the warmer weather could loosen the surface snow and trigger a slide on the slopes.
The elevation of the avalanche is not imminently clear, but West said that it occurred in an out-of-bounds area near the local ski resort.
In a separate incident, a snowboarder was killed at the Alpental ski area east of Seattle when he went over a cliff on Sunday.
