Two dead, one hurt in southeastern B.C. avalanche

GOLDEN, BRITISH COLUMBIA - Two people have died and one was hurt in an avalanche in the Purcell Mountains in southeastern British Columbia.

Avalanche Canada says a group of five snowboarders and one skier were caught in the slide Thursday in an area known as Terminator 2.5 outside of a ski area boundary near the town of Golden.

It says the avalanche was triggered by the group and three people were buried in the snow, one partly and two completely.

Avalanche Canada says the two buried victims did not survive and the one person partly buried was rescued with injuries.

1/3 We are deeply saddened to learn that two people were killed in an avalanche accident in the Purcells today. The snowpack in the interior is still incredibly complex and difficult to manage. Deep persistent slab problems may exhibit no signs of instability before a large... pic.twitter.com/wiN3zzyxBu

— Avalanche Canada (@avalancheca) February 17, 2023

It says a second group of snowboarders that was lower on the trail when the avalanche triggered was hit by the slide but no one was buried or hurt.

Avalanche Canada says the snowpack in the interior is incredibly complex and difficult and may show no signs of instability before a large avalanche happens.

Meanwhile, one of the two people killed in an avalanche in B.C.'s Cariboo region last Saturday has been identified as an off-duty volunteer member of the local search and rescue team.

Central Cariboo Search and Rescue did not name the person who died but released a statement saying the person was a "treasured part of our team" who will be significantly missed.

It said their search and rescue avalanche team was the one to respond to the "heartbreaking" event.

Avalanche forecasters have warned of an ongoing dangerous snowpack this season with persistent weaknesses that make forecasting difficult.