17-Year-Old Boy Scout Killed in Camping Accident After Snow Cave Collapses in New Mexico
Getty Rio Grande National Forest
A teenage Boy Scout from New Mexico was killed in a camping accident this weekend after a snow cave he was building collapsed on him.
Josh Miko of Los Alamos was camping alongside fellow members of Boy Scout Troop 22 in Rio Grande National Forest on Saturday when the incident occurred, ABC affiliate KOAT reported.
Miko was working on building a snow cave, but it collapsed, and he became trapped inside, a spokesperson for the Conejos County Sheriff's Office tells PEOPLE in a statement.
The Los Alamos High School student was dug out by scouts and adult supervisors who were nearby at a campfire, but was pronounced dead after being transported to a local hospital in Chama.
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His death was confirmed to PEOPLE by a spokesperson for Boy Scouts of America.
"This is an extremely sad time for our Scouting family following the death of one of our youth members after an incident while camping. We offer our deepest condolences to the Miko family, and we will support them in any way that we can," the Great Southwest Council said in a statement to PEOPLE. "We appreciate the efforts of the Scouts, volunteers and emergency personnel who responded. Please join us in keeping his family and friends, and all those affected, in your thoughts and prayers."
The Council added on Facebook: "Scouting is a big, extended family. What touches one, touches all. The Great Southwest Council extends our sincere condolences to the Miko family, and our extended Scouting family in Los Alamos."
Los Alamos High School Principal Carter Payne said Miko was a "really well-rounded kid," who took part in multiple extracurricular activities in addition to Boy Scouts, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
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He was an active member of ROTC, sang in the school's choir, and was also a member of the Sea Perch Team, which designed and computed an underwater robot.
