Nation briefs 1/16/05

Avalanche in Utah traps as many as five people

PARK CITY, Utah -- Searchers returned to the site of a massive avalanche near a Utah ski resort on Saturday, hoping to find the bodies of five people feared dead under 30 feet of snow. Crews returned around 8 a.m. to search an area 500 yards wide outside the boundary of The Canyons resort on federal land in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. The exact number of people caught in the Friday afternoon slide was not yet known, but Summit County Sheriff's Capt. Alan Siddoway said officials knew of five unaccounted for skiers.

Old charts may be reason sub grounded

WASHINGTON -- Outdated charts may have been partially at fault for the undersea grounding of a U.S. nuclear submarine last weekend, according to a U.S. agency that analyzes spy satellite imagery and produces maps and charts for the Defense Department. Officials at the Bethesda, Md.-based National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency said Saturday the main chart likely used by the USS San Francisco didn't reveal any obstacle anywhere near where the boat struck on the floor of the Pacific Ocean during underwater operations last Saturday.

Indiana recycling plant fire spews toxic fumes

ANDERSON, Ind. -- A magnesium fire at a recycling plant that forced thousands to evacuate their homes may take days to burn itself out since firefighters have given up trying to extinguish the blaze themselves. The fire erupted at the Advanced Magnesium Alloys Corp. plant around 5 p.m. Friday, but explosions forced firefighters out less than three hours later, said police Detective Terry Sollars. No injuries were reported.