Vancouver, March 20: Canadian police are searching for more people feared trapped under the second massive avalanche in a week to strike back-country snowmobilers in the Columbia Mountains in eastern British Columbia.
One person was confirmed dead and another injured in a major slide, said Canada’s national police force.
“Rescuers are currently attempting to determine the size and number of the original group to confirm whether the two were the only persons involved,” the police said.
Police said rescue teams with dogs were travelling to the area.
The avalanche hit on Friday afternoon on Eagle Pass Mountain near Revelstoke, 566km northeast of Vancouver.
A week ago two men died and 30 were injured after about 200 snowmobilers were caught in the path of another major slide on nearby Boulder Mountain.
A report on Friday by the Canadian Avalanche Centre said only luck and the rescue skills of the snowmobilers stopped the Boulder Mountain slide from being a major disaster.
The centre has repeatedly warned against backcountry travel in the region for weeks, after a series of snow storms left behind an unstable snow pack.
The risks taken by backcountry snowmobilers have generated intense controversy in Canada in the past week, with governments warning of increased regulation and snowmobile organisations arguing that riders make their own free choices to take risks.
—Agencies