CTV BC FERNIE, B.C. -- Police say six bodies have been recovered from the scene of two avalanches that struck 11 snowmobilers in southeastern B.C. The six bodies are being removed from the scene near Fernie by helicopter.Two men are still unaccounted for. Three other men had survived and walked to safety after the back-to-back avalanches on Sunday. Police had said earlier that they still had hope for the men, all in their mid-20s and from Sparwood, but time was not on their side.Search efforts were delayed by the need to bomb snow in the area to reduce the chance of more avalanches impeding rescuers.
------------------------
Fernie: A search team of approximately 50 trained search and rescue personnel and volunteers along with two RCMP avalanche dogs combed the area of yesterday’s avalanche today with the hope of finding any survivors. Tragically, the bodies of seven men were dug out of the snow. One more snowmobiler is still missing. The search had to be called off at 3:30 PM due to heavy snowfall and dense low cloud at the search site that substantially increased the avalanche hazard for rescuers. Search efforts will resume at first light Tuesday.
The bodies of the seven recovered men were transported to Fernie where they await positive identification from family members. The names of the victims will likely be released on Tuesday pending notification of all next of kin.
Further updates will be posted to www.bc.rcmp.ca as they become available.
No comments:
Post a Comment