Four skiers killed and four rescued in Utah avalanche

Four skiers have been killed and four others were rescued near Salt Lake City, Utah, in the deadliest snowslide in the United States in seven years, authorities said.

Two groups of skiers, one of five and the other of three, were in Millcreek Canyon just east of Utah’s capital city when the avalanche was triggered on Saturday, a spokeswoman for the Unified Police Department of Salt Lake City said.

The skiers, who were in their 20s and 30s, were able to dig themselves out of the snow and call 911, police spokeswoman Melody Cutler said. NBC news reported that the survivors suffered minor injuries including hypothermia.

Skiers unintentionally triggered the avalanche, the Utah Avalanche Center said.

The avalanche was the deadliest in the United States since six skiers were killed in a snowslide on Mount Rainer in Washington state late on 28 May 28 or early on 29 May 2014, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.