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Avalanches kill at least six in Canada
Montreal (AFP) Dec 29, 2008 Canadian police said Monday they found the lifeless bodies of six snowmobilers who disappeared in avalanches in the Canadian Rocky Mountains over the weekend. Two other snowmobilers however were still missing, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Sergeant Chris Faulkner told reporters. The eight men went missing late Sunday after two avalanches struck on a mountain 40 kilometers south of Fernie, British Columbia, some 300 kilometers (190 miles) southwest of Calgary. Teams aided by dogs and a helicopter scoured the region close to the US border on Monday. A first group of seven snowmobilers was buried by an avalanche. After hearing cries for help from the area, a second group of four snowmobilers hurried to the rescue, but a second avalanche buried the entire group. Two of the buried riders managed to get out from under the snow and rescued a third, but left the area when the risk of a third avalanche became apparent. Police said the three survivors sustained minor injuries. Some of those trapped under the snow carried devices to help rescue teams pinpoint their location in the event of an accident, but weather conditions on Monday made the search more difficult. The six men who died were from the town of Sparwood, which has some 3,600 inhabitants, in the Elk Valley, home to several coal mines. The Canadian Avalanche Center said the risk of further avalanches in the area remained "high" in the area on Monday. "Unstable conditions will likely persist for a while into the future," the center said in an alert posted on its website. "Knowing when to back off and when to let 'er loose is the mark of a wise backcountry traveller -- thumb off the throttle is a good move right now." Due to the conditions, the RCMP said rescuers dropped handheld avalanche bombs to stabilize the slope and prevent further avalanches before launching the rescue operations. Some 15 volunteer searchers scoured the site by helicopter and snowcat, assisted by police dogs and handlers specialized in avalanche rescue, the federal police said. Avalanches cause deadly incidents almost every year in Canada, especially in the Rocky Mountains. In 2003, seven high school students from Calgary died in an avalanche during a school ski trip. The youngest son of former Canadian prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Michel Trudeau, was killed by an avalanche in 1999. That same year, nine people -- including five children -- died in the Inuit village of Kangiqsualujjuaq in northern Quebec during New Year celebrations after an avalanche smashed through a gymnasium wall. Last week, 55-year-old Donna Molnar was brought back to life after having spent three days buried under the snow. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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Natural disasters killed over 220,000 in 2008: reinsurer
Berlin (AFP) Dec 29, 2008Natural disasters killed over 220,000 people in 2008, making it one of the most devastating years on record and underlining the need for a global climate deal, the world's number two reinsurer said Monday. |
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