Coroner: 5 dead in avalanche in British Columbia

‘He died too young doing what he enjoyed with his sledding buddies, his family told CTV Edmonton in a statement.

Two men said they were heading back to the scene to retrieve the sled of their friend, who had died.

‘Todd enjoyed fishing, hunting, camping and playing games with his children and wife.

They called Mason Dale, the Coordinator of the Search and Rescue Robson Valley, using a satellite phone.

Mason added that the surviving sledders had little to say after being flown out to McBride’s airport.

While there was a risk to riding on Friday, Mr. Whelpton said there was nothing unusual about the day or weather. “It’s a pretty traumatic event”.

Four separate groups of 17 snowmobilers were caught in the deadly snowslide’s path; some were completely buried, others who weren’t worked to dig others out. “They did a great thing and a very speedy thing”.

Two search-and-rescue technicians who happened to be in the area reached the scene quickly, The Province newspaper reported.

RCMP said an early investigation determined the five were in four separate groups that had converged just before the slide came roaring down upon them. “Six to eight other snowmobilers lost snowmobiles in the avalanche and are being shuttled off of the mountain”. One person was transported to hospital by Emergency Health Services in stable condition.

Authorities weren’t able to confirm Friday night that everyone had been accounted for. This may have produced stresses in the snowpack capable of producing large avalanches and this condition could take several days to settle and bond.

In the meantime, Klassen is warning people to be cautious of future incidents over the weekend.

“Very calm. Everyone was very skilled”, he said. “It’s not the fluffy powder snow you have in mind”.

Throughout the afternoon and evening, rescue crews and paramedics helped to remove people from the area and tend to the injured, he said.

Avalanche Canada has said the slide is believed to have been caused by human activity.

Moskaluk also urged snowmobilers to take precautions.

The sign is maintained by the local snowmobile club and is meant to provide information that is available for the area, he said.

Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose tweeted her support for the families of the victims.

The families of all five men have been notified of their deaths.

In his own message, Mulcair called the avalanche “heartbreaking”.

Neil Petryshen, from Saskatoon, said he and his friends hadn’t absorbed the loss yet, but suggested the tragedy wouldn’t stop them from going out again. “Unfortunately, five snowmobilers are deceased as a result of the avalanche”. “It is a very sad day for all of us”.

While Whelpton told reporters that he went out snowmobiling Friday feeling that the area was relatively safe, he also recalled to reporters that the avalanche risk level was listed as “considerable”, which falls about the middle of the danger scale.