Avalanche kills at least two in British Columbia

Snowmobilers at an unsanctioned event near Revelstoke, B.C. may have triggered an avalanche that has claimed at least two lives and injured 30 more.

The Big Iron Shootout, an extreme snowmobiling event that attracts participants and spectators from British Columbia, Alberta, Montana, and Idaho, had gone ahead despite warnings that the slopes around Revelstoke were unstable.

Due to unusual weather conditions, special avalanche warnings were issued each weekend for several weekends. Still, the event went ahead as planned.

“It’s certainly a small miracle that we didn’t end up with a complete, massive group buried under the snow,” Cpl. Dan Moskaluk of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told the Los Angeles Times.

Many of the participants were equipped with GPS locator beacons and other rescue equipment, which may have helped save lives.