At least seven skiers have been killed and at least one injured after an avalanche roared down a glacier in western Canada's Rocky Mountains.
It buried a 20-person wilderness skiing party of tourists, most believed to be Americans, and professional guides on Durrand Glacier near the town of Revelstoke in southeastern British Columbia, said the company operating the tour.
One person was in stable condition in a hospital and about 12 others were ferried back to Revelstoke, said an ambulance service spokesman.
The condition of the surviving skiers was not known, but local news reports said several had been hospitalised.
The tour company said the skiers had been staying at the Durrand Glacier Chalet, which is located about 6,360 feet above sea level in the Selkirk Mountain range of the Rockies northeast of Revelstoke.
The region is extremely popular for heli-skiing and backcountry skiing, but avalanches often happen, depending on weather conditions and the amount of snowfall.
There is an average of 13 avalanche deaths a year in the Canadian mountains, and the Canadian Avalanche Association had rated the avalanche danger in the area north of Revelstoke as "considerable" because of the snow conditions.