3 hospitalized after Kananaskis avalanche

Three people are in hospital after an avalanche in Kananaskis.

Calgary EMS said it responded to an avalanche at 6 p.m. Saturday to an avalanche in the Fortress Junction area.

Two people, a teen boy and an adult women were taken by ground ambulance to hospital in serious but stable condition.

One woman was airlifted to hospital by STARS air ambulance her condition is not known at this time.

A total of eight people were caught in the avalanche in a gully on Mount Lawson,Kananaskis Country Public Safety Sectionwrote on Facebook.

One person had been completely buried, but dug out by other members of the party, the organization said. The group was not equipped with any avalanche rescue equipment.

Kananaskis public safety said the avalanche was likely triggered by the afternoon heat and initiated at about 2,800 metres in elevation before travelling a significant distance down the slope to the group, who were well below the snowline.

"It is still very snowy at higher elevations. Mountaineers/climbers/scramblers need to keep this in mind for the weeks to come," the organization said.

"It may seem like summer in the valley, but there is still avalanche hazard in the mountains."

The temperature hit a high of 9.6 C in Kananaskis yesterday, and Avalanche Canada's latest bulletin recommends caution in the area as spring avalanches can be difficult to forecast.