3 skiers buried in at least 40 feet of snow after massive Alaska avalanche

An avalanche in the Alaskan backcountry buried three skiers under at least 40 feet of snow, Alaska Wildlife Troopers said in a dispatch Wednesday. The blanket of debris could be as deep as 100 feet, they said, which is about the height of a 10-story building.

Authorities said the massive avalanche occurred Tuesday afternoon near the small resort town of Girdwood in the southern part of the state. The three skiers, who were part of a heli-skiing group, became trapped in the avalanche at around 3:30 p.m. local time, their guides said.

The guides told troopers they used avalanche beacons to identify an area where the skiers were likely buried. The beacons estimated the missing skiers to be somewhere between 40 and 100 feet under the snowpack.