1 dead, others injured after avalanches in B.C. backcountry

Several people were caught in avalanches in the backcountry near Pemberton, B.C., Saturday afternoon, and one person died.

Pemberton RCMP said in a news release issued late Saturday evening that they had received "multiple emergency rescue calls" in a 10-minute period around 1:20 p.m.

Witnesses said there had been three separate avalanches - two on Cassiope Peak and one on Mount Cayley - which had buried multiple skiers and snowmobile operators and left "approximately a dozen people" in the area in need of evacuation, according to RCMP.

Police later clarified that the Mount Cayley incident was not an avalanche, but a "snowmobile incident" that had left one person with serious injuries.

The first avalanche - on Cassiope Peak's north face - caught four skiers, leaving one with serious injuries and killing another, police said. The other two skiers were not injured.

The second avalanche - near the Cassiope trail head - caught "at least two people," but those individuals were not injured and were making their way out to safety.

BC Emergency Health Services told CTV News on Saturday afternoon that five people had been transported as a result of the incidents.

Two of the injured people were in critical condition and had to be airlifted to Vancouver General Hospital, BCEHS said.

The three other injured people were taken for treatment in Whistler, according to BCEHS. Two were in serious condition and the third's condition was unknown.

BCEHS said it had dispatched two helicopters, four ground ambulances and a support vehicle to the scene.

In addition to paramedics, Pemberton RCMP, Whistler RCMP, Pemberton Search and Rescue, Whistler Search and Rescue, and Blackcomb Helicopters all responded to the calls, according to police.

Staff Sgt. Sascha Banks, spokesperson for the Pemberton RCMP, said there is "an immense risk" of avalanches in the Sea-to-Sky backcountry, and the snowpack remains unstable.

"We are concerned for additional large avalanches in the coming weeks with the increase in temperatures and sunny conditions," Banks said in the release.

"Pemberton RCMP and Pemberton SAR are asking you to check avalanche ratings and plan your trips prior to heading out in our backcountry. We also want to thank all the bystanders and those involved who assisted today and to the Search and Rescue teams from Pemberton and Whistler who continue to rescue those in dangerous situations. Our thoughts are with the family and friends of all who were involved today."

Pemberton SAR Manager David MacKenzie added his condolences in the RCMP release.

"It is always difficult for our team when it is not always a positive outcome and our thoughts are with all the friends, families, and those involved today," MacKenzie said.

The BC Coroners Service is investigating the death, RCMP said.