In Canada’s Avalanche One Dead, One injured

Saturday, March 20, 2010 at 3:37 pm

VANCOUVER : Canadian police were searching late on Friday for more people feared trapped under the second massive avalanche in a week to strike back-country snowmobilers in the Columbia Mountains in eastern British Columbia.

One person was confirmed dead and another injured in a major slide, said Canada’s national police force in a statement late Friday. “Rescuers are currently attempting to determine the size and number of the original group to confirm whether the two were the only persons involved,” the police said

Police said rescue teams with dogs were traveling to the area. The avalanche hit Friday afternoon on Eagle Pass Mountain near Revelstoke, 566 kilometers (350 miles) northeast of this major coastal city.

A week ago two men died and 30 were injured after about 200 snowmobilers were caught in the path of another major slide on nearby Boulder Mountain.

A report Friday by the Canadian Avalanche Centre said only luck and the rescue skills of the snowmobilers stopped the Boulder Mountain slide from being a major disaster. The centre has repeatedly warned against backcountry travel in the region for weeks, after a series of snow storms left behind an unstable snow pack.

The risks taken by backcountry snowmobilers have generated intense controversy in Canada in the past week, with governments warning of increased regulation and snowmobile organizations arguing that riders make their own free choices to take risks.

In Canada’s Avalanche One Dead, One injured

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