SEATTLE (AP) – Three people are dead and as many as eight are missing after an avalanche Sunday near a popular ski resort in Washington state that received heavy snowfall overnight, authorities said.
The King County Sheriff’s Office began receiving word about the slide near the Stevens Pass ski area just after noon, Sgt. Cindi West said. Stevens Pass is in the Cascade Mountains, about 80 miles northeast of Seattle.
West initially said two people had died but later confirmed there were three deaths.
The avalanche happened in an out-of-bounds area on the back side of the resort. Search and rescue crews and other emergency responders were at the scene.
The Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center on Sunday issued a warning for high avalanche danger for areas above 5,000 feet, saying warmer weather could loosen surface snow and trigger a slide on steeper slopes. The elevation of the avalanche wasn’t immediately clear.