One Dead After Ice Cave Collapses In Warm Weather

One person has been killed and four others have been injured after an ice cave collapsed in Washington state.

Snohomish County Sheriff's spokeswoman Shari Ireton said that the person who was killed had been buried underneath debris and emergency workers were unable to get to them on Monday night.

Three of the injured, including a 25-year-old man in a critical condition, were airlifted to a Seattle trauma centre from the Big Four Ice Caves.

A 35-year-old man and a 35-year-old woman are in a satisfactory condition, according to Harborview Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Gregg. She said their injuries including cuts and leg and pelvic fractures.

Ms Ireton said a girl was treated at a hospital in Everett for minor injuries.

Authorities have said they do not believe anyone else is trapped inside the cave, east of Granite Falls.

The caves, which are around 70 miles northeast of Seattle, are a popular hiking destination in Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

In May, the US Forest Service warned hikers that the ice caves were in a "most dangerous state" because of unseasonably warm weather. Temperatures on Monday were reportedly in the mid-80s Fahrenheit.

The caves are formed by avalanches that fall down from Big Four Mountain during winter and spring.

In 2010, an 11-year-old girl was killed by falling ice while at the caves.

On Sunday, a hiker filmed a section of the caves falling. Several tourists were inside when that collapse occurred, but there were no reports of injuries.