One dead, five rescued after avalanche at US ski resort

One person is dead and five others survived after an avalanche on Saturday morning in the Silver Basin region of the Crystal Mountain ski area in Washington state.

At around 10.50am local time, witnesses called ski patrol with a report that a group of six people were buried by an avalanche in a backcountry area.

Sergeant Darren Moss of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said those who survived were involved in a self rescue. It was not immediately clear if those buried in snow rescued themselves, or were rescued by witnesses, he said. One person had stopped breathing and could not be revived.

Moss said witnesses called ski patrol, who advised the group to come down the mountain out of concern that snow hanging above the avalanche’s crown – a “hang fire” – might put others in danger.

Officials did not immediately have details about the person who died or the five others who survived. Moss did not have details about whether anyone else required medical attention.

The ski resort’s winter season had only just begun, with limited lift operations at the weekend in preparation for a full reopening on Monday. According to the resort’s mountain report on Saturday morning, snow was “packing up and wind is blowing strong.”