A Nelson Police Officer Was Killed In A BC Avalanche & Another Is 'Critically Injured'

Two off-duty Nelson police officers were snowmobiling near Kalso, B.C. when an avalanche hit. One of the officers was killed in the incident, and the other was critically injured.

The City of Nelson released a statement via Facebook on January 9, which informed the public about the incident.

"The Nelson Police Board, the City of Nelson, and the Nelson Police Department offer their condolences and support to the families at this time," the statement said.

The city added that more information about the situation would be released in the coming days.

As of right now, the identities of the police officers have not been released. The exact location of the avalanche has also not been released.

CBC News reported that according to the Nelson Police Department Chief Donovan Fisher, both officers were male and they were off-duty during the incident. Fisher added that the officers were supposed to be back to work on Tuesday.

Last week Avalanche Canada said that the snowpack in Western Canada is "different from most previous years."

"Some professionals are comparing this snowpack to 2003, which was one of the worst years on record for avalanche fatalities. This winter presents a very different set of problems than normal and we need to adjust our mindset to remain safe," they added.

They pointed to the period of drought and cold weather as a cause, which created "problematic layers in the snowpack."