Avalanche buries multiple people near Kachina Peak; two skiers extracted, more may still be missing.

Taos Ski Valley has issued a press release stating that an in-bounds took place just before noon on Thursday, January 17th, burying multiple people. The slide occured in a chute just under Kachina Peak, the highest point at the New Mexico ski resort. Ski patrol had detonated explosives in the area during early morning avvy mitigation.

Chris Stagg, Vice President of public affairs for the ski valley, reported that two male skiers were found and resuscitation efforts were performed. The skiers were reported to be alive when transported for further medical attention. Search efforts are still underway using shovels, rescue dogs, and probes. According to Taos News photographer Morgan Timms, who was at the scene of the accident, the snow from the avalanche is so deep that the probes, which are as long as 30 feet, would not reach the bottom of the snowpack. It’s unknown whether other skiers or riders were caught in the avalanche.

January 17, 3:30 pm MST Update: Taos Ski Valley reports that ski patrol had cleared the area after an extensive search. No additional people were buried in the avalanche.

January 18 update: Holy Cross Hospital CEO Bill Patten confirmed that a skier treated at the facility died from his injuries before 5 p.m. Matthew Zonghetti, 26, from Mansfield Massachusetts was on vacation with his father at Taos. Reports indicate that the pair split up just before the accident, with Matthew choosing the expert chutes where the avalanche occured, and his father choosing the easier way down. “He was kind of a parent’s dream,” said Mike Zonghetti. “Terrific, terrific young man.”

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An unnamed woman witnessed the moment that the avalanche broke. “I see two people trying to come down and a third person on the left. They were really good skiers, it looked like,” she said. The woman gestured to a point near the top of the steep run. “I turned my back to put my bindings on…and then I heard a sound,” she said. “It sounded like an earthquake coming.”

The woman said a cloud of snow rushed down the run, but she didn’t see how many people were buried once the slide settled.

The Kachina Lift, opened in 2015 to service expert terrain, is closed while rescue operations continue.

BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: Two people have now been extracted from the snow while at least one other remains buried, roughly an hour after the snow collapsed on Thursday (Jan. 17).https://t.co/HBtx3pTX6E pic.twitter.com/Pt75HcbqTA — The Taos News (@taosnews) January 17, 2019

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