Three hikers have died after an avalanche in Alaska’s Bear Mountain area, State Troopers confirmed.
On Wednesday, the bodies of Thomas Devine, 54, from nearby Chugiak, Matthew Nyman, 43-year-old from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Edward Watson, 50-year-old from Miami, were recovered.
The men were reported missing after failing to return from a hike in the Bärenberg region. Bear Mountain is located in Chugach State Park, near Mirror Lake and Peters Creek.
The group set off at around 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning and was scheduled to return around 5:00 p.m. in the afternoon. When they failed to do so, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center was alerted.
On Wednesday morning, soldiers and the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group began to search the area on foot and found a new avalanche.
The Alaska State Troopers said, “In the area of the avalanche slide, the bodies of the three hikers were found buried in the snow.”
They added that the men did not carry personal location beacons, which send out a signal that makes it easier for people to find them in an emergency.
The avalanche occurred in Chugach State Park, Alaska
Carol M. Highsmith / Buyenlarge / Getty Images
Friends of the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center, a non-profit organization in south-central Alaska, wrote in a statement on Facebook: “It was with a heavy heart today that we learned that three hikers caught an avalanche on Bear Mountain near Chugiak yesterday have lost their lives.
“At this point in time, little information is known. Our deepest condolences go to the family and friends of the hiker.”
The last avalanche accident in Chugach State Park occurred in April 2011. According to a report by the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group, the man killed was an Anchorage West High School teacher who sledged in the area.
Alaska has a high per capita avalanche death rate, said the Alaska Avalanche Information Center. Several factors can influence the likelihood of an avalanche, including weather, temperature, steepness of the slope, whether the slope faces north or south, wind direction and the terrain.
Avalanches occur when the snow load is so great that it can no longer “stick” to a slope. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources states that the danger is greatest when a storm has left a new load of snow or strong winds have overloaded the slopes.
In January last year, two skiers died after an avalanche in a ski resort caught them on a mountain in Idaho. Five other skiers were rescued. The avalanche occurred on Wardner Peak, a 6,200 foot mountain near the Silver Mountain Resort in Kellogg.
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