Ice tunnel caves in on snowboarder

PORTLAND – A snowboarder traveling through an ice tunnel on Oregon’s Mount Hood with five companions was buried when the tunnel collapsed Saturday, officials said.

Rescue crews early this morning will resume the search for the snowboarder.

The five traveling with the snowboarder were uninjured and called police. They also attempted to dig the man out but were unable to break through thick snow and ice.

“They tried digging for an hour, but the problem is the stuff is so thick that they couldn’t get through it,” Hood River Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Pete Hughes said. “We’re getting chain saws, if that’s any indication.”

The climber was trapped by a collapsed tunnel on the White River Glacier, which begins about 6,000 feet up the south side of the mountain.

An airplane was dispatched to survey the area, along with crews from local sheriff’s offices.