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A tragic incident unfolded in Utah’s backcountry as a snowmobiler was discovered dead following an avalanche, authorities confirmed on Monday. This marks the third avalanche-related fatality in the state within just one week.
The victim, a 45-year-old man from Rose Park, Utah, was caught in the avalanche on Sunday in the Snake Creek area, located west of Midway, according to the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office.
Due to unstable conditions, rescuers were unable to stay in the debris field, leading to the suspension of the search overnight amid ongoing avalanche threats.
Efforts to locate the man resumed at 7 a.m. on Monday, starting with avalanche control measures to ensure safe access to the slide area, officials reported.
Ultimately, search and rescue teams successfully recovered the man’s body on Monday after implementing necessary precautions to address the avalanche risks.
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.Â
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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