A snowmobiler tragically lost his life after being engulfed by an avalanche in Utah’s backcountry, authorities confirmed on Monday. This marks the third avalanche-related death in the state within a week.
The victim, a 45-year-old resident of Rose Park, Utah, was reported missing after being buried in a slide on Sunday in the Snake Creek area near Midway, as stated by the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office.
Due to hazardous and unstable conditions, rescue teams had to temporarily halt their efforts in the debris field. As night fell, the search was paused because of the persistent avalanche risks.
Rescue operations resumed early Monday morning at 7 a.m., with initial efforts focused on controlling avalanche threats to allow safe access to the area, officials reported.
After implementing necessary safety measures, the search and rescue teams successfully recovered the man’s body on Monday. The recovery took place shortly before 9 a.m., according to the sheriff’s office. Authorities have withheld the victim’s identity until his family can be notified.
The man’s body was recovered shortly before 9 a.m., according to the sheriff’s office. His identity was being withheld pending the notification of family.
The latest death follows two other avalanche fatalities that happened last week.
The latest fatal avalanche happened Sunday in the Snake Creek area west of Midway in Wasatch County, Utah. (Utah Avalanche Center)
On Wednesday, a father was snowmobiling with his son in the Snake Creek area when the slide buried him, the sheriff’s office previously said. First responders, however, were unable to immediately reach the location due to hazardous conditions.
The son used an avalanche beacon to find his father and dig him out of the snow, the sheriff’s office said. Despite the son’s efforts, his father died at the scene.
The father was not immediately identified.
The sheriff’s office said the snowmobiler caught in the avalanche on Sunday was a 45-year-old man from Rose Park, Utah. (Wasatch County Search and Rescue)
On Thursday, 11-year-old Madelyn Eitas from Rochester, Massachusetts, was buried in a slide near the Brighton Ski Resort while skiing with her family in an out-of-bounds area known as The Rock Garden.
Once Madelyn was located, first responders began life-saving measures on her before she was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition. She died at the hospital.
The Utah Avalanche Center on Tuesday said that avalanche danger remains “considerable” in the Salt Lake-area mountains.
“As a wet and warm storm brings rain up to 9,800 feet by this evening, expect wet snow avalanches to become larger and increasingly likely around the compass throughout the day,” a forecast from the center said.
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