Prince George, B.C. – The Renshaw area roughly 15 minutes east of McBride is a highly popular area for outdoor enthusiasts.  But on Friday, the Renshaw claimed five lives and left another six people requiring rescue.

McBride RCMP say a large avalanche roared down on at least three separate groups of snowmobilers at approximately 1:30 Friday afternoon.  Two Search and Rescue members who were snowmobiling in the area were on scene in short order and several SAR technicians worked with other emergency personnel throughout the afternoon to search for those buried under the snow and assist six to eight snowmobilers who were swept off their machines.

At 6pm Friday it was confirmed that five people were killed in the avalanche which may have been caused by human activities on an unstable snowpack.

The identities of the victims have not been released.  The RCMP and the B.C. Coroner’s Service, which dispatched two coroners from Prince George Friday afternoon, are conducting investigations into the tragedy and expect to release further information today.

Avalanche Canada has warned people to be extremely cautious in the back country in that area this weekend.