A man from northwestern Alberta has been killed in an avalanche. Manager of Strategic Communications for the B.C. Coroners Service Andy Watson says the deceased from the February 9th avalanche near Valemount, B.C. was in his twenties.
Due to privacy concerns, the agency wouldn’t confirm his hometown, but social media reports suggest he hailed from the Peace Country. He was with a group of snowmobilers Saturday when the slide came down in the Blue River area.
“It’s unfortunate that these folks got caught in a bad situation,” says Watson.
Avalanche Canada says extreme wind may have helped trigger the avalanche, which was 40 metres wide and ran for 300 metres. A special public warning for the area had been issued over the weekend.
“This is another reminder of despite how beautiful our surroundings are, it’s always important to make sure that you’re as prepared as possible,” adds Watson. “Certainly, it sounds like this was a group of people that were out enjoying the weather.”
The B.C. Coroners Service is still in its early stages to also determine what happened. Avalanche Canada says this is the fourth avalanche-related death in B.C. so far this year.