Avalanche kills two at Canada rally

Two people have been confirmed killed and 30 hurt by an avalanche near Revelstoke, British Columbia.

Two people have been confirmed killed and 30 hurt by an avalanche near Revelstoke, British Columbia.

However, others feared buried when the slide hit a snowmobile rally on Saturday have been found safe.

As many as 200 people were watching or taking part in the event on Boulder Mountain when the snowmobiles triggered the slide and sent a wall of snow crashing down on the onlookers, witnesses and police said.

A search for survivors ended last night when police were able to locate everyone associated with the rally, by finding the owners of cars left near the accident scene and canvassing hotels for any missing tourists.

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Search dogs able to find bodies will double-check the mountain again today, said a spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Witnesses told local media the slide started when several snowmobiles raced high up the slope during the privately run rally, which was held despite warnings of a high avalanche risk in the area.

The survivors described a chaotic scene of snowmobilers scrambling down the mountain to outrun the avalanche, or driving into the forest in hopes that the trees would protect them from the wall of snow.

Many of the snowmobilers who escaped the snow were carrying avalanche-survival gear that allowed them to quickly rescue those who were buried.

Revelstoke is located about 300km west of Calgary, Alberta, in an area of western Canada popular for backcountry recreation such as snowmobiling and skiing.

Reuters