2 teenage boys die in sledding accident on spring break trip

Two teenage boys from Illinois died in a sledding accident while on a spring break trip in Colorado, officials said.

The 17-year-old and 18-year-old were at Copper Mountain Ski Resort during Sunday night's accident, the Summit County Sheriff's Office said.

The teenagers were reportedly riding tandem when they "launched off a large snowbank at the bottom of the half pipe," the sheriff's office said. The boys "came down hard on the hard ice," suffering blunt force trauma, the sheriff's office said.

They were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

Dustin Lyman, Copper Mountain's president and general manager, said in a statement, "The entire team at Copper Mountain is deeply saddened by this tragic incident. Our most sincere condolences go out to the affected families and friends."

"Safety is top priority at Copper Mountain, and we ask our guests to please observe posted signs and warnings and not enter closed trails and areas," Lyman said. "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."

Another sledding accident in Park City, Utah, left a person critically injured on Sunday. The sledder struck a tree around 1:45 a.m. and was hospitalized in critical condition, the Park City Fire District said.