7 found, 1 missing in Canada avalanches

FERNIE, British Columbia, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- A search was called off Monday for a missing snowmobiler in Canada, but crews did locate the bodies of seven people lost in two weekend avalanches.

The search for the eighth missing snowmobiler will resume Tuesday near Fernie, British Columbia, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported late Monday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a news release that 11 males on snowmobiles ignored warnings of a high risk of snow slides Sunday in the Rocky Mountains near the Alberta border. All were wearing avalanche distress beacons.

The seven men whose bodies were recovered Monday were from Sparwood, not far from Fernie, the CBC report said. Sparwood Mayor David Wilks said Monday the loss would be "devastating for this community; we're a small community of 4,000 people."

"Some of these gentlemen were related …" Wilks said. "They all went to school together for the most part. This is a very close-knit community."

The RMPC said the search was called off Monday due to the risk of another avalanche at the scene.

Three men were able to dig themselves out after the Sunday avalanches and began searching for the others, some of whom were under 10 feet of snow. The RCMP said out of fear of another slide, the three men left the area and were rescued by helicopter and ground crews.

About 3 feet of snow had fallen in the area in the past few days, while temperatures rose to just above freezing.

The Canadian Avalanche Center, in Revelstoke, British Columbia, said there had been avalanches in the area and issued a warning to stay out of the area for the next several days, the CBC said.