An avalanche swept down on a group of skiers from the United States in eastern British Columbia Monday, killing eight of them, officials said.
Twelve others were rescued from the avalanche near the Durand Glacier, outside of Revelstoke.
The party of 20 skiers from the US had chartered a helicopter to take them to the remote backcountry, Bob Pearce, a spokesman for the B.C. Ambulance Service was quoted as saying by AP.
The survivors were being transported to a Revelstoke hospital for medical treatment. "There are five ambulance crews at the heliport in Revelstoke where a makeshift morgue has been set up," Pearce said, adding that a coroner was on the scene.
Pearce said that the helicopter skiing excursion was set up by the Selkirk Mountain Experience, a Revelstoke-based company founded in 1985.
The region around Durrand Glacier near Canada's Banff National Park was described as remote and wild.
Canadian Helicopters Ltd. in Revelstoke said it received a call to fly a team of paramedics to the avalanche site. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
