Four safely located after going missing in Las Vegas avalanche

Four people have been safely located by Las Vegas police after an avalanche fell at a local ski mountain, authorities have confirmed.

“Everyone has been located and is safe. We are currently assisting people off the mountain,” the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) said in a post on X Monday afternoon.

Search and rescue teams were dispatched to Lee Canyon ski resort by around 2:45 p.m. local time, with the missing being reported safe about an hour later.

Lee Canyon, a ski area near Charleston Mountain about an hour northeast of downtown Vegas, was hit by about 11.5 inches of snow in the past 24 hours, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Six inches fell on Monday night, and 31.5 inches have accumulated across the past seven days.

Snow is still falling and the area is under a winter storm warning through Tuesday.

Roads leading into Lee Canyon have been closed to all but local traffic, police said.

The area is no stranger to the dangers of heavy snowfall.

Just last year a hiker was killed in an avalanche on Mt. Charleston, according to the Review-Journal, while residents have been advised to evacuate at least twice in recent years over avalanche danger.

In 2005, a 13-year-old boy was killed at Lee Canyon when he was swept from a chairlift during an avalanche.