Two Illinois high school students killed in snowbank accident in Colorado

Two Illinois high school students were killed in a sledding accident on spring break in Colorado, school officials said.

The male students were identified only by their ages, 17 and 18. They were students at Prairie Central High School in Fairbury, Illinois, according to school administrators.

They were riding in tandem down the halfpipe at Copper Mountain Ski Resort in Summit County when they launched a large snowbank at the bottom, the Summit County Sheriff's Office said.

The accident at Copper Mountain, a resort less than 80 miles west of Denver, happened about 8: 30 p.m. Sunday, officials at the ski area said.

Copper Mountain said in a statement that it has a sledding zone, but that the activity is prohibited in multiple areas.

The halfpipe closes at 4 p.m. each day, and the feature is off-limits to sledders at all hours, in any case, the resort said.

It said that safety is the top priority at Copper Mountain and that guests are asked to observe posted signs and warnings and not enter closed trails and areas. Copper Mountain closes all lift and trail access at 4 p.m. daily, including the halfpipe, which was closed and roped off at the time of the incident.

They struck hard ice, the sheriff's office said, according to KUSA of Denver, and were declared dead at the scene.

The cause of death was expected to be determined by the Summit County Coroner's Office.

The resort's president and general manager Dustin Lyman said in a statement that the entire team at Copper Mountain is deeply saddened by this tragic incident.