Two boys buried by ice rescued

(Editor's Note: This story has been altered. Alessandro Gelmini's name was misspelled in earlier versions.)

SNOQUALMIE PASS -- The roar of cracking ice brought nearby hikers running.

Grabbing sharp rocks and branches, they began digging.

Rescue workers arrived by truck and helicopter, bringing chain saws and shovels.

They heard nothing at first, but as they dug, the sounds of two voices emerged.

Finally, five hours after the ice arch had fallen, the first of two Seattle teenage boys buried under a mass of ice and snow was pulled out. Less than an hour later, both were on a helicopter and on their way to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

"I'm astonished they are still alive. It's a miracle," said Matthew Miller, a 15-year-old hiker who witnessed part of the ice collapse, which occurred about 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

The two boys who were rescued had been part of a six-person hiking party from Seattle who had set out to enjoy the crisp air near Malekwa Lake.

	This photo, provided by Lyle George, shows the snow cave near the Denny Creek Trail on Aug. 14, a week before it collapsed on two teen hikers.

About two miles up a path near the Denny Creek trailhead, the pair -- 17-year-old Alec Corbett and 14-year-old Alessandro Gelmini -- stopped in a hollowed-out area under an ice arch. They were enjoying one of their last vacation days before classes at Blanchet High School start next month.

Suddenly, a loud crash rang out. The mother of one of the boys turned around and realized they were gone.

Miller, who was with a different hiking party, said he heard a woman screaming.

		Video still from Komonews.com
	Rescuers are shown in the snow cave near Snoqualmie Pass where they pulled out the two boys trapped under ice.

"It was just a deafening crash, sort of the thing that really got your attention," he said.

After the ice fell, members of Miller's hiking group and people from a YMCA trip immediately grabbed sharp rocks, branches and anything they could to begin digging.

Chris Pyke, 20, was hiking with a church youth group and was among the first on the scene. Huge slabs of ice -- some that were at least 5 square feet -- had fallen on the boys, he said.

"They were huge. The actual ice that fell, it was a big chunk," he said. "It was about 50 feet by 50 feet."

At first, fire department spokesmen said rescue crews did not hear any sound from beneath the icy rubble.

It was raining and temperatures hovered in the 50s at an elevation of about 3,000 feet, they said.

By midafternoon, the first rescuers from Snoqualmie Pass Fire & Rescue had hiked to the area.

Digging continued. Heavy equipment and chain saws were brought to the site along with other firefighting and rescue crews.

Finally, by about 5:30 p.m., rescuers had made voice contact with both boys. An hour later, fire crews succeeded in cutting the ice, freeing the boys.

Eastside Fire & Rescue firefighter Dean Dealteriis was one of the people who found the boys.

"The boys were very, very happy to see us," he said.

"For me, it's a once in a career thing," said Dealteriis. "It's something you really can't train for."

		Joshua Trujillo / P-I
	From left, Marilyn Pyke, Joni Baker, 15, and Matthew Miller, 15, walk away from the Denny Creek trailhead after hearing that rescuers were communicating with teenage boys who were buried when an ice cave collapsed on them Thursday near Snoqualmie Pass.

The boys' injuries were not life-threatening, King County sheriff's spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart said.

But Corbett, who was pulled out about 6:45 p.m., suffered from hypothermia and other injuries.

Gelmini, who was rescued about 25 minutes earlier, had serious injuries.

A Navy helicopter raced to the mountain and flew the boys to Harborview, landing about 7:50 p.m.

They were rushed to the emergency room. Officials said the boys were in serious condition.

Joni Corbett, Alec's mother who was on the hiking trip, was ecstatic to hear the rescue was successful.

"I'm just so happy. I want to thank everyone," she said. "I want to thank all the rescuers, all the volunteers."

She declined to talk about how the boys became trapped in the first place.

Marta Gelmini, Alessandro's 10-year-old sister, also was on the trip. She said someone took her away from the accident site after the boys became trapped.

When she learned that her brother was safe, she had one reaction: "I said, 'Thank you God.' "