Avalanche near Invermere, B.C. kills/injures multiple people

Avalanche near Invermere, B.C. kills/injures multiple people

Tragedy struck the small community of Invermere, British Columbia, on Wednesday morning as an avalanche resulted in multiple deaths and injuries. Al Miller, the mayor of Invermere, reported that three people have died, although this has yet to be confirmed by the hospital. British Columbia Emergency Health Services told CTV News Vancouver that they took four people to hospital after the incident. It is still unknown the conditions of the patients, but the mayor called it a “very, very unfortunate” event.

The skiers involved were with RK Heliski, a company with an established safety record. The avalanche occurred near the Panorama Mountain Resort, according to Mounties. Avalanche Canada reported they had received “preliminary reports of a serious avalanche” in the area, but did not have any additional information.

This is one of the deadliest avalanche seasons in British Columbia in decades, with nine people dying in avalanches already this season. The tight–knit Invermere community was shaken by the incident, as the mayor Miller noted, “When that many helicopters start rolling back and forth and back and forth, you know something has gone terribly wrong.”

Avalanches are unpredictable and can occur in any terrain around the world. They can happen anywhere, anytime, and as this incident has highlighted, can be fatal or have lasting effects on those involved. Although the Invermere community is shaken by the tragic event, they must come together to remember and honor those who have passed and support those who have been injured.

A timeline of avalanche events this season

This season has seen a number of avalanche events throughout British Columbia, resulting in tragedy for many families.

On December 31, a skier suffered life–threatening injuries in a slide near Emerald Lake, near the Alberta border.

On January 5, Avalanche Canada issued a warning for a touching snowpack, noting that riders had already triggered large and dangerous avalanches.

On January 9, two off–duty police officers were caught up in an avalanche near Kaslo, B.C. while backcountry skiing. Sadly, Const. Wade Tittemore, 43, died, while Const. Mathieu Nolet, 28, sustained severe internal injuries and later died on January 21.

The same day, two snowmobilers riding at the base of a slope near Valemount, B.C. triggered an avalanche from above, resulting in the death of one rider.

On January 23, a slide came down on one person near Cherryville, B.C. The person was taken to hospital with undetermined injuries. That same day, a heli–skiing group was caught in an avalanche near Revelstoke, B.C. The two guests, brothers and American businessmen Jon and Tim Kinsley, were dug out of the snow unresponsive and declared dead in hospital.

On February 11, two skiers were caught in an avalanche on Potato Peak, which resulted in their deaths.

On February 16, three people were buried in an avalanche triggered outside a ski–area boundary near Golden, B.C. One was partially buried and extracted, while two were fully buried and did not survive.

Finally, on March 1, ten people were caught in an avalanche near the Panorama Mountain Resort. Sadly, three died, while four others taken to hospital are expected to survive.