Three skiers buried up to 30 metres deep in Alaska avalanche presumed dead, officials say | US News

An avalanche that swept away three skiers has likely killed them under the weight of the snow, officials have said.

The trio had flown by helicopter to a remote mountain range near Anchorage in the US state of Alaska.

However, according to state troopers, they were caught in an avalanche and trapped in snow at a depth of between 12 metres (40ft) and 30 metres (100ft).

The deaths have not yet been confirmed, but Austin McDaniel, a spokesperson for Alaska State Troopers, said that “based on the information provided by the operator, unfortunately, we do not believe that any of the three missing persons survived the avalanche”.

The incident took place on Tuesday in the Chugach Mountains in an area along the Twentymile River, eight miles (13km) northeast of the airport in Girdwood, and about 40 miles (64km) south of Anchorage.

The trio were said to be heli-skiers who use helicopters to reach remote mountains far from commonly used ski lifts.

Mr McDaniel added that guides from the heli-skiing company had tried to locate the skiers using avalanche beacons and believed they had found a probable area where they were buried.

Due to the depth, guides were unable to recover them, and there was a continued “considerable avalanche risk in this area”, Mr McDaniel said.

It has also been rainy, windy and foggy in Girdwood, with snow at higher levels.

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A spokesperson for Alaska State Troopers told Sky News that the weather and the continued risk of avalanches were interferring with rescue efforts, which would resume when it was “safe for personnel to return to the scene”.

In the meantime, the situation was being “actively monitored”.