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British actor Julian Sands, best known for his roles in films such as A Room With a View, has gone missing after hiking in California’s San Gabriel Mountains last week, authorities said.
Search and rescue teams began a ground search after Sands, 65, was reported missing Friday after a hike in the Mount Baldy area of California, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Spokeswoman Gloria Huerta told Wednesday Associated Press.
However, those efforts have been on hold since Saturday due to conditions along the way and the risk of avalanches. Rescuers are using helicopters and drones until ground searches can resume, Huerta added.
Sands’ agent did not immediately respond to a request for comment early Thursday.
In a separate statement Wednesday morning, the sheriff’s department said two hikers died last month in falls on or near the Mount Baldy area in “extremely dangerous” conditions on the mountain, which is about 40 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles is located.
In total, the rescuers have launched 14 searches for lost, stranded or injured hikers in the past four weeks, the statement said, noting that the snow had turned to ice in strong winds. Bad weather and avalanche conditions have hampered all search and rescue efforts, the statement said, adding: “Recent storms that have brought snow and ice conditions are not favorable for hikers, even those who believe a high level of experience.”
Sands starred opposite Helena Bonham Carter in the 1985 romance A Room With a View. He has appeared in other films including The Killing Fields, Boxing Helena, and Leaving Las Vegas, as well as the series 24.