Missing Skiers Bodies Found: Everything We Know About Deadly Utah Avalanche

Officials recovered the bodies of two skiers fatally trapped after an avalanche struck Utah's Lone Peak Canyon on Thursday.

The avalanche quickly formed over two feet of snow and killed the two skiers, while another was rescued and transported to the hospital, according to a report from the Utah Avalanche Center.

The group of three backcountry skiers were climbing Big Willow Aprons slope when they got caught around 10:15 a.m., according to the center's accident summary. They had switched from skiing to boot packing and were near the top.

The survivor who was leading the group was caught in the avalanche and carried downhill. The skier was partially buried but able to dig out.

A helicopter rescued the skier who was being treated for minor injuries.

The other two were caught and carried downhill on the opposite side.

"Those two were fully buried and unfortunately did not survive," the Utah Avalanche Center stated.

The names of the two victims have not been released, but police identified them as two men, aged 23 and 32. One was from the Salt Lake City area and the other was from out of state.

Newsweek reached out to the Unified Police Department for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Lone Peak is in the Wasatch Range, southeast of Salt Lake City. It stretches from Little Cottonwood Canyon to Corner Canyon, also known as Mount Jordan.

Large avalanches are not typical for this late in the ski season, but the area did experience recent heavy snowfall, with up to three feet in upper elevations.

Avalanches are often caused by heavy snowfall, wind direction, steeper slopes and a recent raise in temperature.

There have been 15 avalanche fatalities in the U.S. during the 2023-24 season, including the two from Thursday, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.

The Salt Lake region has experienced four other avalanches in May in addition to Thursday's, the Utah Avalanche Center's data shows. There were no other injuries or deaths reported this month from avalanches in the area.