3 killed in avalanche during snowmobile expedition

• Three young fathers in their 30s died after an apparent avalanche Tuesday during a snowmobiling expedition on Quebec’s Gaspe Peninsula.

The coroner’s office confirmed Wednesday that 35-year-old Joel Crete, 30-year-old Nicolas Vanasse and 33-year-old Bryan Forgues Morissette were killed. They were from the towns of Coaticook and Stdenis-de-brompton, both in the Estrie region east of Montreal.

Quebec provincial police said a fourth member of the snowmobiling group called emergency services at around 5:30 p.m. to report the disappearance of his three companions in the Chic-chocs nature reserve.

Guy Bernatchez, a representative of the Haute-gaspesie regional county municipality, said the incident has shaken a region where outdoor winter sports and backcountry snowmobiling are a way of life for many.

“It’s an extraordinary tragedy for us because it isn’t something that happens often,” he said in a phone interview.

Many local volunteers joined police and firefighters to search for the three men, who were all fathers with young children, Bernatchez said.

Police dispatched a team of rescuers trained in avalanche response on Tuesday to locate the men on Mount Medaille; they were assisted by firefighters and ambulance services.

The three missing men were found later in the evening and declared dead in hospital, police spokesperson Sgt. Frederic Deshaies said. An investigation is underway to determine the exact causes and circumstances of their deaths, he added.

Dominic Boucher, general manger of Avalanche Quebec, a non-profit that works to prevent injuries and deaths from avalanches, said the avalanche happened on a section of public land that is popular with backcountry skiers and snowmobilers. He said the organization is still investigating what happened, but it’s likely that the victims triggered the avalanche themselves, as is the case 80 per cent of the time.

Boucher said the area where Tuesday’s avalanche occurred is risky for the same reason it’s popular with backcountry enthusiasts: it lacks vegetation.