34-year-old woman's body recovered from ice cave collapse
VERLOT, Wash. – Snohomish County Sheriff's Office search and rescue personnel on Tuesday successfully recovered the body of the 34-year-old woman who died inside the Big Four Ice Caves.
The victim was flown from the area to Taylor's Landing, the search and rescue facility, and transported from the area by the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office Tuesday afternoon.
Positive identification of the victim, as well as cause and manner of her death, will be determined by the medical examiner.
Officials say technical rescue personnel reported rock and ice collapse in the area and that more debris fell overnight.
Working with an avalanche technician from the Washington State Department of Transportation, search and rescue personnel used small explosives in the area of the caves to dislodge any possible debris, as well as check the stability of the ice. Technical rescue teams were able to reach the victim and hoist her out with SnoHAWK 10, the sheriff's office helicopter.
"Areas of the cave are still collapsing and will continue to do so until the cave no longer exists. No one should go in or near the cave," said Search and Rescue Deputy Peter Teske. "The area is not safe."
Officials also said a fifth person, a 14-year-old girl, has been identified as a survivor, bringing the total number to five.
The condition of the girl was not released. She was taken to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett, Wash. along with another injured teenage girl.
Three of the injured were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with injuries including head lacerations and leg fractures. A 35-year-old woman was treated and released Monday night. A 25-year-old man was upgraded from critical to serious condition and was in intensive care Tuesday morning. A 35-year-old man was upgraded from serious to satisfactory condition Tuesday.
Ireton said it's not clear if all the victims were at the caves together as one group.
Rangers say the record temperatures this summer have made the caves more dangerous.
"The conditions in early season were what we would typically see in August," said Phyllis Reed, acting District Ranger, U.S. Forest Service.
Rangers say there are signs on the trail and trailhead warning hikers about the danger at the caves. That includes international signage showing a person falling through a crevasse and rock falling on people's heads. There are also two 700-pound boulders with warning messages.
The parks service also worked with the family of Grace Tam, the 11-year-old girl killed at the caves in 2010, to create a more personal safety message for hikers.
Two rangers are assigned to the caves during the day between April and September to educate visitors about safety and the environment, said Verlot ranger station manager Adrienne Hall. She said the call about the collapse came in at 5:30 p.m. Monday, so the rangers were likely already headed back to the station.
Hall added that people are coming to the area all the time and the forest service would have to staff the caves 24-hours-a-day to ensure people stayed out.
"I would like people to enjoy the area. The ice caves is just one component of that area. There's four ecosystems that you're walking in a mile. There's birds. There's beaver. There's all sorts of neat things to see. The ice caves … I just wish people would enjoy them from afar," said Hall.
The Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest has closed access to the Big Four Ice Caves until further notice.
People at the caves Monday before the collapse posted photos showing water falling in the caves.