Two people were missing after an avalanche struck a group of seven skiers in Lake County, Colo., on Saturday evening, authorities said.
Three people suffered broken bones and other injuries and two were unhurt, the county Office of Emergency Management said in a statement.
The search for the missing people was called off for the night but would resume early Sunday, the agency said.
The avalanche struck along Highway 82 southeast of Aspen and south of Leadville about a mile from the La Plata Gulch Trailhead parking lot.
Authorities said the avalanche occurred near the top of a ridge above the highway but did not reach the road. A photo on the Office of Emergency Management’s website showed slide debris coming down into trees.
The names of the victims were not released.
Avalanches over the past week in Colorado, Utah and Oregon have left six people dead. A series of recent storms has heavily loaded slopes, raising the danger to high levels, weather experts say.