1 dead, 4 injured after ice caves collapse in Washington

One person was killed and four others injured after ice caves in Washington's Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest partly collapsed on Monday.

Authorities say it was the second day in a row that the ice caves collapsed; no one was hurt during Sunday's incident. The Big Four Ice Caves can only be reached via a narrow, 26-mile road, NBC News reports, and the main cave is almost 100 feet deep and 25 feet wide, making it a popular hiking destination. Authorities say the caves are dangerous, especially when temperatures rise and they fall apart. Washington is experiencing a heat wave, and on Monday, temperatures in the area reached 80 degrees.

Three of the injured were brought to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, with the two male patients suffering from head lacerations and leg and pelvis fractures, a spokeswoman for the hospital said. A 25-year-old man is in critical condition, while a 35-year-old man is in serious condition. A female patient, 35, is in satisfactory condition.

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