UPDATE: Victim identified from Keefer Lake avalanche

UPDATE 4:00 P.M.: The victim of Saturday’s avalanche near Keefer Lake has been identified as AJ Cleary. The Coldstream man was a nurse at Vernon Jubilee Hospital and was said to be an avid outdoor enthusiast.

KELOWNA, B.C. – A 34-year-old Coldstream man has died after succumbing to injuries sustained during an avalanche Saturday near Cherryville.

RCMP say the man was riding a snowmobile in the Keefer Lake area when the avalanche buried him.

Friends on snowmobiles dug the man out from several meters of snow, and performed CPR until he could be transferred to paramedics.

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Vernon Search & Rescue was called in to assist, while Keefer Lake Resort’s own emergency services were deployed to assist in the recovery.

The victim was flown by air ambulance to Kelowna General Hospital. After 6 P.M. last night, a transmission from the helicopter pilot suggested their estimated time of arrival to KGH was only minutes and CPR was still being performed by emergency staff on board.

RCMP say the case has been turned over to the BC Coroners Service.

The Canadian Avalanche Centre issued a special warning for the Monashees Saturday and Sunday, saying the warm, wet weather was creating very dangerous conditions.