KELLOGG, Idaho — Search and rescue crews found a third person on Thursday killed in an avalanche on Silver Mountain.
The avalanche swept down a ski area on Tuesday, killing three people, including two men from Spokane County and injuring four others.
The timeline of events has become complicated and can be confusing, so we have broken it down day-by-day.
Tuesday, Jan. 7: Avalanche sweeps down ski area
11 a.m.: An avalanche swept down the 16 to 1 run at the Wardner Peak ski area at 11 a.m. on Tuesday. Silver Mountain Ski Patrol responded immediately and began to search for guests.
The Wardner Peak area had been closed until Tuesday morning due a lack of snow, Silver Mountain said. The area then received 16 inches of snow in the 24 hours before the avalanche and avalanche control work was done in the morning before the mountain opened.
The ski area was open and inbounds, Silver Mountain said on Wednesday.
12:40 p.m.: Silver Mountain posted on Facebook that they found three people and were continuing their search.
About three hours later, Silver Mountain confirmed that one person had died and five people were rescued with minor injuries following the avalanche.
Silver Mountain later said another person was found dead and that all skiers were accounted for on Tuesday night.
Wednesday, Jan. 8: Search for another missing skier begins
7:30 a.m.: Silver Mountain posted on Facebook that they received a call from a concerned family member about a skier that they have been unable to contact. The person was skiing during the time of the avalanche on Tuesday.
Silver Mountain said the ski area would be closed as they searched for the missing person.
Press conference at 4 p.m.: During a press conference on Wednesday, Silver Mountain said two people died in the avalanche and four were found injured, rather than five.
11 p.m.: The search for the missing skier was suspended.
Thursday, Jan. 9: Person found buried in avalanche, two Spokane Co. men identified
7 a.m.: The search for a missing skier was restarted on Thursday morning. The ski area remains closed.
About 60 people are assisting in the search and rescue effort, including three to four rescue dogs, search and rescue personnel from Kootenai and Shoshone Counties, and crews from nearby resorts, Silver Mountain said.
KREM’s Nicole Hernandez said crews are searching inch by inch and foot by foot to find the missing person.
10 a.m.: Hernandez said a helicopter from the Flathead County Sheriff's Office in Montana has joined the search for the missing skier. She added that the chopper has technology that could help search crews.
12 p.m.: The Shoshone County Sheriff's Office identified the two men who died as 58-year-old Carl William Dick Humphreys of Liberty Lake and 46-year-old Scott Michael Parsons of Spokane Valley.
12:45 p.m.: A rescue helicopter found a person buried in the snow after the two-day search. Authorities have not yet identified the individual or provided additional details.
2:00 p.m.: At a press conference at about 2 p.m., Shoshone County Sheriff Mike Gunderson said the body has been located but not recovered due to terrain. He also said it is unclear if the body is the person reported as missing on Wednesday morning.
3:00 p.m.: Crews recover the person from the avalanche and confirm it is the missing person. This brings the death toll up to three, and crews are called off from future searches as they believe all people are accounted for.
Friday, Jan. 10: Silver Mountain reopens
9:15 a.m.: Silver Mountain ski area reopens following two-day closure. The resort is honoring a previously announced deal of $12 lift tickets in honor of the ski area's history.