GREAT FALLS — Missoula County Sheriff TJ McDermott has identified Jade Green, 24 years old, and Lowell Grosvold, 26, both of Anaconda, as the two people who died after getting caught in an avalanche near Seeley Lake on Wednesday.
The slide buried the snowmobilers under several feet of snow.
A third rider was able to escape and call 911.
The Sheriff's Office said in Facebook post on Wednesday night that the two riders who were unaccounted for after the slide were found buried and pronounced dead at the scene. SAR crews were able to transport the bodies to the trailhead after several hours of coordinated recovery efforts.
The third rider who was able to call 911 was brought out with search crews and did not need medical assistance.
The Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post on Thursday: "As you can imagine, the family and friends of these two men are experiencing deep loss heading into 2020. Please keep them in your continued thoughts and prayers. We would also like to thank the search and rescue volunteers and assisting personnel who braved the elements last night to recover the bodies and bring the survivor to safety."
(1st REPORT, JANUARY 1st, 3:43 pm) Search and rescue (SAR) crews have been dispatched after receiving a report that several people got caught in an avalanche in the Lake Dinah area several miles northwest of Seeley Lake.
Three people were snowmobiling when they were caught in the avalanche at about 2:15 p.m.; one person managed to escape and call for help.
The Missoula County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post that Seeley-Swan SAR, Missoula County SAR and their SAR K9’s, along with MESI and Seeley Fire are staging an operation to search for the two people.
The Sheriff's Office added a few hours later: "Search and rescue crews are making their way to the avalanche affected area, but weather conditions are extremely tough. The National Weather Service has predicted that search conditions through this evening into tonight will include wet snow and windy conditions. Wind speeds are expected to reach up to 60 miles per hour. The wet nature of the snow will result in compacting accumulation, but an additional 6 to 10 inches of snow are expected tonight with 1 to 3 inches on Thursday. Please keep these folks in your thoughts as they head up into tough conditions."
We will update you as we get more information.
