Friends go to rescue cars stuck in snow — and end up stranded, too, Oregon sheriff says

Six motorists who became trapped in the snow, some overnight, while trying to retrieve vehicles stranded earlier near Bend have been rescued, Oregon officials say.

A man called authorities at 8:36 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19, to report that his brother and a friend had been missing for more than 24 hours after leaving to pull the friend’s vehicle out of the snow, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Rescuers set out in a tracked snow vehicle at 10 p.m. to find the two men on China Hat Road, the release said.

While they were en route, the sheriff’s office received a second call about another group who had set out to retrieve a different vehicle stuck in the snow on China Hat Road, officials said.

In all, rescuers found six people from four vehicles stranded in snow and ice along the road, the release said. None were injured or required medical attention.

The tracked vehicle shuttled the stranded motorists to safety.

Bend is a city of 103,000 people in central Oregon about 160 miles southeast of Portland.

This story was originally published February 21, 2023 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Friends go to rescue cars stuck in snow — and end up stranded, too, Oregon sheriff says."