Amazing Moment Rescuers Found Man Buried Alive Under Avalanche Caught on Video
California, once heralded for its mild climate and balmy winters, has definitely been having a rough go of it over the past few years.
First, there was extreme drought, then heavy rains that led to devastating mudslides. There has also been quite a bit of snowfall in the mountains near Lake Tahoe, where part of California borders Nevada.
That means plenty of snow for fans of skiing and snowboarding, but it also sets the scene for avalanches.
This particular instance took place in Squaw Valley on Friday. People were out enjoying the day when an avalanche started.
Authorities were aware that the conditions were prime for an avalanche, but they still haven’t figured out what triggered this one. Five people were caught in its descent at around 1:40 p.m. on Friday.
As soon as the avalanche struck, rescuers with rescue dogs showed up immediately to begin searching for anyone caught in its path.
One woman named Heather Turping, who was there with her boyfriend, said it happened quickly. Someone yelled “Avalanche,” and then she watched as “a cloud of snow” came down.
She was almost swept away by it as well, and seemed surprised at its power and intensity.
“It was massive,” she said. “It just happened to literally pass a foot in front of me.”
Four people were rescued with little issue. One sustained lower body injuries and was rushed to the hospital, another suffered wounds but was released from the hospital by the end of the day.
But one snowboarder could not be found. A woman on the slopes began to scream that she couldn’t find her husband, and everyone began searching frantically.
Fortunately for the man buried beneath the snow, part of his snowboard was sticking out and was barely visible.
After a good Samaritan spotted it, rescuers and volunteers rushed over to free the man from his icy prison.
“I took my gloves off and I helped dig him out,” Turping said. “When he got uncovered, a ski patroller said, ‘You were under for six minutes.'”
In the video, you can see just how helpless he was. People worked quickly to free him with their hands and a shovel, but you can see him speak even though only his face is visible.
Apparently, once he was up and on his own two feet again, he was found to be unharmed. He snowboarded down the hill with a great story to tell and perhaps a new vigor for life.
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