Three perish in Mammoth Mountain Volcanic Vent accident
CNN report the tragic deaths of three members of the ski patrol who apparently fell into, or near, a volcanic vent at Mammoth Mountain. The exact circumstances remain unclear but it appears that heat from heated rocks had hollowed out a cavity in the snow.
Whether they were killed by the 21-foot fall or were also affected by gases seeping from the cavity was not immediately clear.
The victims were part of a four-man team inspecting the mountain after heavy snowstorms and fencing off the gap in the rock, officials said.
Mammoth Lakes Mayor Rick Wood said heat from hot rocks had hollowed out the snow and two ski patrol members fell into the fissure on the 11,053-foot peak in the Eastern Sierra.
A third patrol member attempted a rescue and perished as well, and the fourth was injured, he said.
