The four skiers who died during a giant avalanche in Utah on Saturday have been identified by authorities.
The victims, which included three Salt Lake City residents, were among two separate groups of skiers caught in the avalanche in Millcreek Canyon. Four others survived the disturbing ordeal.
According to the Unified Police Department, the victims are: Sarah Moughamian (29), Louis Holian (26), Stephanie Hopkins (26) and 23-year-old Thomas Louis Steinbrecher.
“All eight skiers were well prepared and had the necessary equipment for the conditions,” the department said in a statement.
Holian, Hopkins and Steinbrecher all come from Salt Lake City, police said. Moughamian lived in Sandy.
Hopkins worked as a nurse at the University of Utah Health, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
“Hopkins worked in the neurocritical care unit and was loved and respected by her colleagues. We send her condolences to her family and loved ones during this difficult time, “the hospital said in a statement to the newspaper.
The bodies of the four victims were recovered Sunday by mountain authorities.
The four survivors, all men aged 23 to 38, excavated themselves and the victims before being rescued, authorities said.