FERNIE, B.C. - As many as eight people may be dead after an avalanche in the B.C. Interior buried 11 snowmobilers.
RCMP Cpl. Andy Veltmeyer confirmed eight people were buried under the snow. Jennifer Henkes, a spokeswoman with the Interior Health Authority, said there were some fatalities, but she couldn't say how many people were killed. "Interior Health would like to extend its deepest condolences to the victims' families during this very difficult time for them in the Elk Valley," she said.
Three people were taken to hospital, Henkes said, with two discharged Sunday and one remaining in stable condition.
"We do have one survivor in the Elk Valley Hospital," she said. "That person is being kept overnight for observation.
The avalanche happened Sunday afternoon between Sparwood and Fernie in B.C.'s Elk Valley, about three hundred kilometres southwest of Calgary.
Unconfirmed reports indicated the search had been called off for the night.
The Canadian Avalanche Centre issued an alert on Sunday saying mountain conditions in the region were "very touchy" because of a new snowstorm with wind combined with a weak snowpack.
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