Avalanche in British Columbia leaves 1 Dead, 5 Injured

One person is dead, and five more are injured following two avalanches in British Columbia‘s remote back country. The avalanches occurred Friday, after officials warned that avalanche risk was high, because of weak snow pack. Local coroner Barb McLintock reported that the fatality occured on Friday afternoon near the town of Sparwood, which is located in southead British Columbia, close to the border with Alberta.

Media reports have said that the victims were on snowmobiles, but those reports have not been confirmed. McLintock also stated that a coroner left for the scene around 2 p.m., after search-and-rescue officials received a satellite phone call from a group of people in a remote area, where normal cell phone coverage is virtually non-existent.

A spokesman for the BC Ambulance service said that paramedics were able to take 3 people to the hospital with minor injuries, though bad weather forced them to wait until Saturday morning to airlift two more people to a local hospital, where they were transferred to another facility in Cranbrook. All five are said to be in good condition.

This fatality is the second one in the last week related to an avalanche. Do you think that this death could have been prevented, if the people involved had paid attention to the Canadian Avalanche Centre’s warning?