CANADIAN search teams have recovered the bodies of seven snowmobilers swept away by avalanches in a remote part of British Columbia. An eighth was missing, believed dead.
The bodies were found late on Monday, as searchers ploughed through avalanche debris near Fernie in Elk Valley, 550 miles east of Vancouver.
Eleven snowmobilers were hit by back-to-back avalanches on Sunday. Eight were buried, but three clawed thr
ough the snow to safety. Search efforts had been delayed by the threat of further avalanches.
Rescuers who rushed to the rocky, bowl-like area discovered the bodies buried deep beneath the hard-packed surface. The deepest was found under 11ft of snow. Three were located almost immediately because they were wearing transceivers that send out electronic signals.
The first avalanche buried seven snowmobilers on Sunday afternoon, as they rested at the foot of a hill, said David Wilks, the mayor of Sparwood, home to all 11 men.
"It appears that a cornice – an overhang on top of the mountain – let loose and buried them," he said.
Four other snowmobilers heard their shouts and started digging, but were hit by a second avalanche.
Mr Wilks, who spoke to one of the survivors, said he was told they were buried twice and were fortunate enough to be able to dig themselves out about 20 minutes after the second avalanche hit.
"They're very distraught that they weren't able to stay and try to find or help their buddies, but one of them was injured and they felt there was an imminent risk of another avalanche coming down," he said. "They had lost their gloves, they had lost everything, so they were starting to dig by hand."
He said all 11 men knew each other in the small coal-mining town of 4,000, and some were related to one another.
"Sparwood changed yesterday," Mr Wilks said, urging people in the town to come together. He described the snowmobilers as skilled outdoorsmen who were well-liked in the community, and said many had families – including two whose wives gave birth to their first children just a few months ago.
Randy Roberts, a grieving family friend, said the victims knew what they were doing and were as prepared as they could be for an emergency. He added that no one in the group ever questioned whether it was safe to go.
"You can never predict avalanches," an emotional Mr Roberts told reporters. "They were all geared up."
Chuck Meadows, 27, who drives lorries at a local coal mine, said he worked with most of the men.
"It's pretty devastating – just trying to find out what happened, it's all you can do.
"They were really fun guys to be around. It's sad to see, with newly-started families."
The full article contains 470 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
