Seven people were killed yesterday in the second fatal avalanche to strike the mountains of western Canada in less than two weeks, officials said.
The seven were part of a group of 17 people, mostly youths, who were on a ski trip in the Rogers Pass area of Glacier National Park near Revelstoke, British Columbia, police and park officials said.
All other members of the ski group have been rescued and are safe, a park spokeswoman said.
Names and nationalities of the victims have not been released pending notification of their families, but 14 of the 17 skiers were youths, according to a Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman.
Avalanches are common in the Rogers Pass area about 160 miles (250 km) west of Calgary, Alberta, but the risk of a slide in the area was rated only as moderate yesterday, officials said.
Seven backcountry skiers were also killed near Revelstoke January 20th, when they were caught in a avalanche that roared down Durrand Glacier.
