LEAVENWORTH, Wash. — Rescue crews recovered the body of one of three climbers killed in an avalanche on Colchuck Peak last weekend on Friday.
A helicopter rescue team with the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office found the body of Seong Cho, a 54-year-old Korean national from Connecticut, under a thin layer of snow.
According to the Chelan County Sheriff’s Office, a surviving member of Cho’s climbing party provided GPS coordinates to authorities prior to the search.
>> 3 climbers killed in avalanche on Colchuck Peak near Leavenworth
His body has been turned over to the Chelan County Coroner’s Office.
Friday was the first day since the avalanche on Feb. 19 that weather conditions were safe enough for aircrews to fly into the area.
The helicopter rescue team attempted to locate the remaining two victims – 60-year-old Jeannie Lee of New York and 66-year-old Yun Park of New Jersey – but were unsuccessful.
A ground team will not be deployed to the climbing area to continue recovery efforts once avalanche and weather conditions approve, according to CCSO.
The avalanche was the deadliest in the U.S. so far this winter and the deadliest in Washington since 2014.