Two snowshoers and a dog were found dead Monday after an avalanche came down and killed them near North Star Mountain in Colorado.
The snowshoers were reported missing when they did not return from a trip they took Jan. 8. An avalanche rescue dog found the two victims and their dog buried under avalanche debris, the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC) reported. (RELATED: At Least 15 People Have Died In Avalanches In The Last Seven Days)
The deadly avalanche measured 400 feet wide, officials say. https://t.co/WSI30N5JSL
— ABC News (@ABC) January 11, 2022
The victims, who have been identified as Hannah Nash, 25, and Drake Oversen, 35, were on a hiking trip the day before they were reportedly supposed to meet up with friends Sunday morning, according to CBS Denver.
The Summit County coroner claimed that the cause of death was blunt force trauma and asphyxiation, according to Summit Daily.
Deputies from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office, Summit County Rescue Group and Flight for Life volunteers began searching areas around Hoosier Pass for the victims, according to the CAIC.
The search party found the victims’ car in a parking area on top of Hoosier Pass and what they suspected to be tracks in the snow, according to Summit Daily.
The rescue dog found the two around 2 p.m., according to the outlet.
Fifteen people including 10 skiers, a snowboarder, 2 snowmobilers, and 2 snowshoers were killed in the backcountry of the Colorado Mountains during the 2020-2022 avalanche season, according to KKTV.
One of the casualties of the avalanche season involved the death of a skier who was killed on Christmas Eve near Cameron Pass, according to CBS Denver.