Alaska State Troopers said three skiers are likely dead after an avalanche buried them in the Chugach Mountains near Girdwood, Alaska, on Tuesday.

Alaska Wildlife Troopers said an avalanche buried three skiers under a blanket of snow between 40 and 100 feet deep in a small resort town.

Three skiers who had flown by helicopter to a remote mountain range were swept away by an avalanche and likely killed under the weight of dozens of feet of snow, Alaska State Troopers said Wednesday.

Three people have died after being buried by a large avalanche while on a guided heli-skiing trip near Girdwood, authorities say. The avalanche occurred around 3:30 p.m. near the West Fork of TwentyMile River, Alaska State Troopers said Wednesday in an update to preliminary information released late Tuesday.

Three heli-skiers are presumed dead after they were caught in an avalanche Tuesday, Alaska State Troopers said Wednesday in a statement. The large avalanche buried the skiers at about 3:30 p.m. local time near Girdwood.

An avalanche has buried three Americans skiers under snow of 40 feet or more.The avalanche struck in the Alaska backcountry near Girdwood, a small resort town, late Tuesday afternoon, March 4, local time.

“Using avalanche beacons, the guides identified a probable area where skiers were buried between 40 feet and nearly 100 feet deep,” but they “were unable to recover the three skiers due to the depth,” troopers said.

The depth of the snow kept the heli-ski company from being able to recover the skiers Tuesday, an Alaska State Troopers spokesman said.

The group was traveling with guides from a commercial heli-skiing operation, which escorts backcountry skiers via helicopter to the tops of mountains that are otherwise inaccessible.

The skiers were caught in a slide Tuesday afternoon near the west fork of the Twentymile River. They weren't immediately recovered due to deep snow in the area.