1 dead, 3 injured in northern B.C. avalanche

One person died and three others were injured in an avalanche in northern B.C. on Tuesday afternoon.

Last Frontier Heliskiing, in a statement, confirmed that a group of five people were caught up in the slide near the Bell 2 Lodge, which is in the Skeena Mountains and near the border with Alaska.

“Three were physically injured and tragically one person died. Our thoughts are with families and friends impacted by this tragedy,” a spokesperson said in an email, which did not provide details about the conditions of the survivors.

“We want to thank our team members, colleagues and nearby operators who assisted with the response. Our focus right now is looking after our guests, their families, and our team members. We are working with authorities as the incident is reviewed.”

This is the thirteenth avalanche-related fatality in the province this year, putting it on track to be one of the deadliest in decades. Annually, the national average is 14.

The danger rating in the region where the slide occurred is currently “considerable,” according to Avalanche Canada.

“Storm slabs will likely remain reactive to human triggers, especially in wind-affected terrain and/or where the recently formed slabs are sitting on weak facets,” the organization’s website says. “Choose conservative terrain and watch for signs of instability.”