2 skiers dead, 1 rescued after Utah avalanche

Two missing skiers are dormant and a 3rd man was rescued aft an avalanche Thursday adjacent nan Lone Peak Summit area successful Utah's Wasatch Range, officials said.

Search-and-rescue crews had been looking passim nan time for nan 2 missing men, ages 23 and 32, who person been confirmed dead, Greater Salt Lake Police Sgt. Aymee Race said.

The skiers' identities person not been released.

Emergency crews responded to nan upland astatine 10:50 a.m. section clip for reports of an avalanche and 3 missing skiers, Race said.

The 3rd skier was capable to excavation himself retired aft he became trapped and was taken to a section hospital, wherever he helped officials, she said.

Rescuers used a chopper hoist to assistance him disconnected nan mountain, NBC connection KSL of Salt Lake City reported. Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera told nan position she believes he is nan 1 who made nan first emergency call.

The 3 men are friends who went up to skis together Thursday morning, Rivera said.

Officials judge that nan group near early successful nan greeting and that it took them 5 hours to scope nan "very remote" area wherever they were skiing, Race said.

All 3 were wearing avalanche cogwheel and were knowledgeable pinch backcountry skiing, officials said, according to KSL.

The avalanche is thought to person occurred successful nan Big Willow area successful Lone Peak Canyon, conscionable disconnected Little Cottonwood Canyon, according to KSL.

Rivera told nan position that nan avalanche area is “quite a ways back” connected nan upland and that it was “going to return immoderate time” to scope nan 2 skiers but that they had been spotted.

Conditions were excessively vulnerable to proceed nan hunt effort Thursday, and it has been postponed until 6 a.m. Friday, Race said.