One person died and four people were hurt Monday in a partial collapse of the Big Four Ice Caves near Granite Falls in Washington state, Snohomish County Sheriffs Office confirmed.
A helicopter airlifted two men and a woman to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Harborview spokeswoman Susan Gregg said the patients are a 20-year-old woman in satisfactory condition, a 35-year-old man in serious condition and a 25-year-old man in critical condition, according to USA Today.
A juvenile female was taken to Providence.
"They're all awake and alert, which is good news," said Gregg.
The body of the person killed is still inside the cave and has not been recovered, authorities said, according to AJC.com.
Rescue teams are still determining how many hikers were in the cave when it gave way. The collapse occurred near the entrance, officials said, according to Reuters.
In May, the U.S. Forest Service warned hikers against entering the Big Four Ice Caves after several sections collapsed in unusually warm spring temperatures.
"The cave is in a condition that we would normally not see until at least September - large, inviting and collapsing," Lead Field Ranger Matthew Riggen said.
Temperatures have been in the 80s and 90s in the past week. Hikers to the caves have reported on the trails association website that they saw a lot of water running off around the caves and that sections of ice had broken off.
A video posted on YouTube by Sara Soleimani showed part of a roof collapsing on Sunday:
