Avalanche In Mammoth Mountain California Triggers Rescue Operation

Mammoth Mountain in California was struck by an avalanche early Saturday. The avalanche forced the closure of a popular ski resort and triggered a response from the emergency services to conduct search and rescue operations in the area. The resort will be open on Sunday.

According to a report in USA Today, eight people were partially buried in snow, when the avalanche came cascading down from the top of the mountain. They were all rescued. According to the officials, no serious injuries were reported.

A spokeswoman for Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort, Lauren Burke, said, at about 10:15 a.m. EST, snow started pouring down the mountain.

Ski patrol were trying to mitigate the damage by the avalanche, that broke loose on the Climax ski run and traveled down Upper Dry Creek, ending at High Five Express, Burke said.

Burke added that the snow first traveled down the area that was closed to those skiing, but then moved down to the populated area on the mountain, partially burying two guests in the snow who were able to free themselves.

According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, one skier didn’t realize the mountain was struck by an avalanche until 11 a.m., when chairlifts came to an abrupt halt. The skier told the Times, that they were alerted by the blaring sirens signaling the arrival of emergency services and responders.

"I was waiting to board a ski lift when it suddenly stopped working," said Barbara Maynard of Los Angeles. "Suddenly, it was pandemonium everywhere you looked. Ambulances, police vehicles and fire engines were rolling into the area. Simultaneously, Mammoth Mountain staffers and ski patrols were roaring up the slopes on snowmobiles."

Another skier Lucas Dunn saw the descent of the avalanche, pouring down from the mountain and closed the run near Chair 5, the area called High Five Express.

"I skied down to see what was going on, and at that point, you could see a bunch of broken trees and all the fencing had been taken out. You could see snowmobiles flipped and buried," said Dunn.

According to Burke, More than 200 people, including guests, searched the area for more than six hours using transponders and search dogs.

The avalanche is just the latest danger to the hit the nation, which is being battered by a winter storm. In the east coast a powerful storm brought rain, snow and severe wind that killed at least five people. The storm flooded streets in Boston, grounded flights and halted train service across the region.

The storm led to the cancellation of thousands of flights. According to reports, more than 3,400 flights were canceled and 4,265 flights were delayed across the nation on Friday.

"Many airlines proactively canceled flights last night and this morning in anticipation of the forecasted winds," FlightAware Sara Orsi said in a Friday afternoon statement. "This has reduced broader impact to operations and will help them recover their schedules faster."

According to a report, the avalanche led to a jam in the area.

John Williams, 46, a longtime resident of the area told Los Angeles Times: "Driving down two-lane Minaret Road was tricky and a little dangerous, traffic was closed uphill to all but emergency responders. The downhill lane was jammed with cars, trucks and skiers traveling about 5 miles per hour."