An avalanche buried multiple people near the highest peak of a New Mexico ski resort on Thursday, including two who were pulled from the snow as ski patrol continued their search for others, an emergency management official said.
The extent of the injuries for the two people located by searchers after the avalanche was not immediately known.
Ski patrol was on the scene and Lucero’s office also offered to provide assistance, he said.
It’s not clear if there are any other people were buried other than the two who were pulled from the snow.
Witnesses on the scene told KOAT it was a “very scary situation” that unfolded.
Taos Ski Valley also tweeted that the Kachina Peak life would be closed due to low visibility.
“We’re very sorry but due to visibility the Kachina lift will not be open today and there is no hiking access either at this time.#safetyfirst,” the Taos Ski Valley tweeted.
An official told The Taos News that the mountains ski patrol team had detonated explosives near the avalanche on Thursday morning.
But it’s not known what caused the avalanche, KOAT reported.
“I see two people trying to come down and a third person on the left. They were really good skiers it looked like,” Taos News photographer Morgan Timms stated. “I turned my back to put my bindings on ... and then I heard a sound. It sounded like an earthquake coming.”
George Brooks, the director of the nonprofit Ski New Mexico, which promotes the sport, said avalanches are fairly rare in the state, and typically terrain is very well controlled at the area’s ski areas.
The avalanche comes as the state has enjoyed one of its best ski seasons in years after a spell of dry winters. “If they occur, it’s not usually when anybody is around,” Brooks said of New Mexico avalanches.
The mountain had received 2 inches of snow in the last day and 15 inches in the last week, the Taos Ski Valley website said. The spot where the avalanche happened is prone to winds that can blow up the mountain and cause a cornice, meaning avalanches can occur there even without a high level of recent snowfall, Brooks said, AP reported.
Other details about the incident are not clear.
Friends Read Free