A deadly avalanche hit a popular ski resort near Lake Tahoe, California, on Wednesday, killing at least one person and injuring another, according to The Associated Press.
Palisades Tahoe, a ski resort roughly 15 minutes from Lake Tahoe’s main downtown center, shut down around 30 minutes after opening due to a massive storm, according to AP. Search crews immediately began to probe the area, searching for any injured or trapped people, the outlet reported. (RELATED: American Mountaineer And Local Guide Killed In Tibet Avalanche, Two Still Missing)
Video footage posted to Twitter showed a mountainside full of snow and scenes of emergency crews on site and police cars speeding down the highway.
🚨#BREAKING: Massive Search and Rescue Underway at Tahoe Ski Resort After Major Avalanche Buries and injures Multiple People ⁰⁰📌#Olympicvalley | #California ⁰
Numerous emergency personnel and other agencies are currently at the Palisades Tahoe Ski Resort in Olympic Valley,… pic.twitter.com/ZtTquTn5yQ— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) January 10, 2024
The avalanche occurred around 9:30 a.m. near near a “black diamond” slope and was around 150 feet wide, 450 feet long, and 10 feet deep, the ski resort posted to its Twitter account.
Sgt. David Smith, a spokesperson for Placer County Sheriff’s Department, confirmed that one man was killed and another sustained non-life threatening injuries, AP reported. Olympic Valley Fire Chief Brad Chrisholm noted that the surviving victim had suffered a lower leg injury, according to the outlet. (RELATED: What Has California’s War On Fossil Fuels Actually Accomplished?)
“This is a very sad day for my team and everyone here,” Palisades Tahoe CEO Dee Byrne stated in response to the death, according to ABC30.
The Lake Tahoe area is expected to receive an additional foot or more of snow before Thursday morning, the outlet reported.