Seven dead in Canada avalanche

Some skiers managed to make their way out of the snow

An avalanche has killed seven skiers in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Three American citizens and four Canadians died when the avalanche crashed down a remote slope of the Selkirk Mountains where they had come for backcountry skiing, a police spokesman said.

It is high season for skiers in the region

It is unclear how many people from the same party survived the disaster, which happened near the Durrand Glacier on Monday afternoon, about 37 kilometres (23 miles) north-east of the town of Revelstoke.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sergeant Randy Brown said that there had been up to 11 people in the group and one was in hospital with light injuries, but a spokesman for the British Columbian Ambulance Service said 12 people had been rescued and a regional coroner put the number rescued at two.

An initial death toll of eight was later revised down but the names of the dead have yet to be released

High risk

Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien issued a statement regretting the "tragic loss of life".

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims' families during this very painful time," he said. "We wish a speedy and complete recovery for the injured."

The BBC's Ian Gunn in Vancouver says this has been a particularly severe season so far for avalanche risk in the region.

He says local officials have been issuing frequent warnings to adventurers to take extra care in the backcountry.

In a weekly bulletin, the Canadian Avalanche Association had warned people entering the backcountry to "be alert for remote triggering and continue to be vigilant about avoiding those tempting big, steep alpine faces".

Adventure holiday

The skiers had flown by helicopter to a camp in the Rocky Mountains which they used as a base for ski touring.

Selkirk Mountain Experience, a long-established company which owns the chalet on the glacier used by the party, describes the region as "very remote and wild".

Sergeant Brown said that some members of the party had been able to dig themselves out of the snow.

The party had been well-organised, he said, adding that it had been equipped with guides and rescue equipment.

The mountains of British Columbia are a major draw for adventure skiers from around the world at this time of year.

About 10 people a year die in avalanches in the mountains of British Columbia, though very few of those deaths normally occur with organised professional outings.