Family: New Mexico avalanche victim was Massachusetts native

Associated Press

People search for victims after an avalanche buried multiple people near the highest peak of Taos Ski Valley, one of the biggest resorts in New Mexico, Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019. The avalanche rushed down the mountainside of the New Mexico ski resort on Thursday, injuring at least a few people who were pulled from the snow after a roughly 20-minute rescue effort, a resort spokesman said.

MANSFIELD, Mass. - Relatives say a 26-year-old man who died in an avalanche at a New Mexico ski resort was a Massachusetts native who was on an annual ski trip with his father.

The mother and sister of Matthew Zonghetti say he was the person killed Thursday at Taos Ski Valley.

Authorities say a second person pulled from the snow is hospitalized in critical condition. Zonghetti’s father wasn’t injured.

Relatives say Zonghetti was from Mansfield, Massachusetts, and had recently moved to Denver for a new job.

Sue Zonghetti told WCVB-TV in Boston that she could not believe what happened, and her son is going to be missed by many.

His sister, Kathryn, told KOAT-TV in Albuquerque that he was an expert skier and the best brother anyone could ask for.

MORE:Avalanche kills man at Taos Ski Valley