Two killed in avalanche near Lake Louise

CALGARY – A 42-year-old man a 31-year-old woman have been killed in an avalanche near Lake Louise.

It happened on Saturday near the popular Lake Agnes tea house, which is not open in the winter months.

RCMP say the victims were temporary foreign workers from Spain, who were showshoeing with three other people.

The victims were near the bottom of a steep slope when a medium-sized avalanche was triggered, burying them in snow.

The three survivors called for help as they searched for their friends.

Rescue crews from Parks Canada and Lake Louise rushed to the scene, but determined the risk of triggering another avalanche was too high for them to enter the site.

Instead, crews had to undergo avalanche control, initiating two additional avalanches before starting search efforts.

They were able to recover the body of one of the victims, and called for additional help to continue their search.

The three survivors were evacuated, and an avalanche rescue dog was eventually able to recover the body of the second victim.

Officials say the 42-year-old man was employed in Calgary, and the 31-year-old woman worked in Edmonton.