B.C. police officer dead after being struck by avalanche, another injured

One Nelson police officer is dead and another is critically injured after they were struck by an avalanche while out snowmobiling.

One Nelson police officer is dead and another is critically injured after they were struck by an avalanche while out snowmobiling.

The Nelson Police Board says the tragedy happened in Kaslo, about 70 kilometres north of the city.

More information will be released in the coming days, according to the board’s post on the City of Nelson’s Facebook page Monday.

Avalanche Canada has warned B.C.’s snowpack is unusually weak this year, raising the risk of avalanches.

The organization wrote on its website that a 2.5 avalanche was triggered by humans on a slope near Kaslo on Monday.

The rating is based on a five-point system that measures destructive potential, with  two points being large enough to bury, injure or kill a person,according to Avalanche Canada.

In the wake of the deadly avalanche, Canadians are sending messages of condolences to the victims and their loved ones.