February 11, 2019 - 9:21 AM
BLUE RIVER, B.C. - One person has died in an avalanche in eastern British Columbia.
North District RCMP Cpl. Madonna Saunderson confirms the victim died Saturday when a slide came down on a group of snowmobilers south of Valemount in the Blue River area.
Saunderson says the identity of the victim is still being confirmed and information is limited, but the body has been recovered.
An Avalanche Canada special warning was posted Thursday advising backcountry users that weak lower levels of the snowpack had raised the potential for an avalanche along several eastern B.C. mountain ranges.
Statistics posted by Avalanche Canada show the death is the fourth in B.C. this year.
Two Alberta sledders died southwest of Invermere on Jan. 12 and a skier was engulfed Jan. 3, in the Hurley River and Pebble Creek area northeast of Pemberton. (CFJC)
Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous version said the avalanche was on Friday.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2019