OLYMPIC VALLEY, Calif. — Officials confirmed that one person was killed and another was injured after an avalanche Wednesday morning at a ski area in Palisades Tahoe in Olympic Valley, California.
The Placer County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that one person was killed after an avalanche around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. Another person was injured.
A spokesperson for the Placer County sheriff, Sgt. David Smith, said that the victim who died was a man, The Associated Press reported.
The sheriff’s office said that no other missing people have been reported.
The resort closed 30 minutes after opening because of the avalanche, the AP reported. It happened on the Palisades side of the Palisades Tahoe ski resort, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
The avalanche happened under the KT-22 lift on steep slopes that serve as runs for skilled skiers and snowboarders, according to the AP.
The sheriff’s office said the debris field from the avalanche is about 150 feet wide, 450 feet long and 10 feet deep.
The name of the victim has not yet been released. The mountain has also been closed for the rest of the day Wednesday, the sheriff’s office said.
In a statement, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said his office was monitoring the situation, according to The New York Times. He also said that CalFire was “moving resources and personnel” for rescue efforts.
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