Deadly avalanche hits Stampede Pass in Wash.

One person was killed and three others were injured in an avalanche on Washington’s Stampede Pass Sunday.

KING-TV reports the Kittitas County sheriff said five people were on the hill 16 miles west of Cle Elum when the avalanche hit.

Two people had minor injuries and two were completely buried. Friends located the buried members of their group, and were able to resuscitate one of them.

Search & Rescue was working on getting a rescue team to the scene, but the sheriff’s office warned that conditions were extremely hazardous.

According to Undersheriff Clay Myers, “The avalanche center has recommended no one go into that area due to the conditions, so we are pulling in only those who are trained and equipped for these conditions.”

The avalanche hit near milepost 63 at Stampede Pass.

Another avalanche was blocking both directions of State Route (SR) 20, the North Cascades Highway, east of Newhalem.

The Washington Department of Transportation estimated that snow slide to be 300 feet wide and up to 30 feet high. There were 55 to 60 people behind the slide area, but WSDOT said they all had access to food and shelter.

Rob Mercer captured incredible footage of that avalanche spilling across the highway, KING reported. There were no reports of injuries related to that avalanche and highway closure, near milepost 122.5.