British Columbia avalanche claims two backcountry skiers

REVELSTOKE — Two backcountry skiers are dead after being caught in an avalanche in central B.C.

A report from Avalanche Canada says the skiers were on a slope called Potato Peak, south of Tatla Lake, about 750 kilometres northwest of Vancouver in the west Chilcotin region.

It says both victims were fully buried during the slide that happened Saturday.

Search-and-rescue crews were notified when the victims were reported overdue and their bodies were later recovered from the scene of the avalanche.

Avalanche Canada says the area of the slide was highly wind-affected, leaving some parts of the slope thin and rocky, while other sections had up to 130 centimetres of snow.