“Skiers used headlights that allowed them to be successfully identified,” according to SJCOEM.
The victims were discovered on Wednesday in more than 6 meters of avalanche debris and their bodies will have to be removed later due to bad weather, the agency said. Due to the terrain, a helicopter recovery is required.
The three were identified on Wednesday in a joint statement by Eagle County and the city of Eagle, Colorado.
“The families of Seth Bossung, Andy Jessen and Adam Palmer are allowing us to share their names so that we can openly acknowledge their deaths and suffer together,” said the statement.
All three men served as city or county officials, according to their official websites, with Jessen serving as Eagle’s provisional mayor. Palmer, a member of the city council. he is also listed as director of Sustainable Communities in Eagle County. Bossung served as the county’s energy efficiency project manager.
The avalanche occurred in the San Juan Mountains, between Silverton and Ophir, in southwest Colorado.
The search for the other three was suspended on Tuesday night due to the threat of another avalanche, according to CAIC. Monday’s avalanche site is at an altitude of approximately 11,500 feet in an area known locally as “The Nose”.
“Our hearts are heavy with the loss of these three men,” said the joint statement from Eagle County and Town of Eagle. “His contributions through his work in local government and local businesses, as well as his personal passions and his impact on the friends and family he left behind, helped to shape the community in ways that will last forever. Each of us in both organizations have learned from their examples and we are grateful to be able to call them colleagues. “