avalanche

Two skiers were killed and one was rescued after they were buried in an avalanche in the mountains outside of Salt Lake City that occurred after several days of spring snowstorms, authorities said.

The Saturday avalanche was one of the most deadly in the state's history. Forecasters had warned of dangerous avalanche conditions.

"Colorado is the home of weak snow and avalanches are not uncommon. This year is worse," the Colorado Avalanche Information Center said Sunday. A snowmobiler in Wyoming also died on Friday.

The 12-year-old was alive and conscious when he was rescued on Wednesday, defying bleak statistics for avalanche victims trapped over 15 minutes. "We can call it a miracle," a rescue captain said.

Mount Kusatsu-Shirane suddenly erupted Tuesday morning, spewing volcanic rocks and belching a curtain of black smoke. An avalanche that followed injured at least 10 people.

"Suddenly everything turned white," one student told local media. A mountaineering training exercise had drawn students and teachers from high schools across the region.

Snow buried homes in multiple provinces around Kabul and in the mountainous northern part of the country this weekend. Officials said rescue crews had not yet reached some affected areas on Monday.

Hopes are dwindling that anyone trapped in an avalanche-buried ski resort could still be alive after six days. Separately, six people reportedly were killed in the nearby crash of a rescue helicopter.

Firefighters say children are among a handful of survivors located in what remains of the Hotel Rigopiano ski resort in Italy. Rescue crews have been extricating the trapped people from the ruins.