Two snowshoers and their dog were caught, buried, and killed by an avalanche in the mountains near Breckenridge, Colorado over the weekend.
Authorities said the pair was reported missing on Saturday when they failed to return from an outing near North Star Mountain.
Deputies from the Summit County Sheriffs office, along with volunteers from the Summit County Rescue Group and Flight for Life, immediately launched a search group.
Searchers focused on an area west of Hooiser Pass after locating the couple's vehicle near a trailhead. Not long after, they located faint tracks in the snow.
"They found a recent avalanche and a faint track in an area of interest on a flank of North Star Mountain," Summit County Rescue Group said in a statement. "An avalanche rescue dog located both snowshoers and their dog, all of whom were completely buried by avalanche debris. All were deceased."
The victims were identified as 25-year-old Hannah Nash and 35-year-old Drake Oversen, both of Colorado Springs, and their dog, Valerie, ABC News reported. Authorities said they were on a trail in the backcountry when the avalanche struck.
"The manner of death is accidental and the cause of death is blunt force trauma and asphyxiation due to an avalanche of snow and debris," Summit County Coroner Regan Wood said in a statement to ABC.
The avalanche broke about 400 feet wide, ran about 250 vertical feet and went about 10 feet deep into old snow layers, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center.
The avalanche center is working to release a full report on the incident, expected later this week.
"Our deepest condolences go out to the friends and family and everyone affected by this tragic accident," the center said in a statement.
The incident marks Colorado's second deadly avalanche in the past month. On Christmas Eve, a backcountry skier was killed in an avalanche near Cameron Pass.
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