Tuesday, December 17, 2024

One person was killed in an avalanche at the Palisades Tahoe resort in California

No one has been reported missing, the sheriff's office said.

One person has been killed in an avalanche at Palisades Tahoe Resort on the California side of Lake Tahoe, officials said.

According to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, the death marks the first avalanche death in the United States for the winter of 2023-2024.

No one has been reported missing and search efforts have ended, Placer County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sgt. David Smith said during a press conference Wednesday.

Michael Cross, vice president of mountain operations at Palisades Tahoe, told reporters that the deceased was buried in an avalanche.

Another person suffered leg injuries in the avalanche, officials said. Both were out-of-state guests at the resort, Gross said.

No other details about the deceased have been released at this time.

Resort officials said two people who were caught in the slide sustained minor injuries.

According to the sheriff's office, the debris field of the avalanche was about 150 feet wide, 450 feet long and 10 feet deep.

Palisades Tahoe Resort said the avalanche occurred around 9:30 a.m. local time Wednesday. The collapse occurred near the KT-22 lift, which opened for the first time at 9am on Wednesday

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Both sides of the mountain are closed, the resort said.

“This is a very sad day for my team and everyone here,” Palisades Resort CEO and President Dee Byrne said during a press conference.

Byrne said the incident remains under investigation and the situation is “dynamic.”

“We still have a lot to learn,” he said.

A strong storm blanketed much of the Sierra Nevada mountains this week with avalanches. Snowfall continues and the Tahoe area could see an additional foot or more of snow Wednesday afternoon through Thursday morning.

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