As Search for Actor Continues, Another Hiker Goes Missing

UPDATE Jan 24, 2023 2:00 AM CST

Another hiker has gone missing on California's Mt. Baldy as the search for British actor Julian Sands continues in the same area. Jin Chung, 75, failed to return from a hike Sunday, NBC News reports. He had carpooled to the site with two others that morning; the group separated and planned to meet back up in the afternoon. High winds, ice, and avalanche risks have made searches in the area difficult.

Jan 19, 2023 12:12 AM CST

Rescue crews are searching for a hiker who went missing Friday while in southern California's San Gabriel mountains—and on Wednesday, that hiker was identified as British actor Julian Sands. Sands, who now lives in North Hollywood with his family, was in the Baldy Bowl area of Mt. Baldy, a popular hiking and skiing destination, the Guardian reports. Sands, 65, is known for roles in films including A Room with a View, The Killing Fields, Naked Lunch, Leaving Las Vegas, and Ocean's Thirteen. He is one of two hikers currently missing in the Mt. Baldy area; California man Bob Gregory was also reported missing Monday.

Severe weather in the area has made searching difficult, with the ground search called off and only drones and helicopters searching until the weather improves. There is currently a major avalanche risk in the area. "It’s extremely dangerous, and experienced hikers are having a hard time getting through there," a sheriff's department spokesperson says. Over the past four weeks, authorities have carried out 14 rescue missions around Mt. Baldy, People reports. Two of the hikers involved did not survive their ordeals, both of them falling to their deaths. (One of them was known as the "hiking queen.")