A fifth body was found Sunday night, after an avalanche on Saturday in the Lions Bay area on Saturday.
The search began on Saturday around 3:45 pm, when another hiker in the area phoned 911, after noticing a cornice had collapsed on the peak of Mount Harvey, said Squamish RCMP in a release.
The hiker told 911 there were footprints leading to the summit where the collapse had taken place and was concerned for the safety anyone who was in the area.
Squamish RCMP immediately notified the Squamish Search and Rescue and attended the scene.
It was determined that five hikers were missing and believed to be in the area where the avalanche had happened. A search and rescue effort was launched, but the instability of the snowpack hampered rescue efforts.
With better weather on Sunday, the Squamish RCMP, Squamish SAR, Lions Bay SAR, North Shore SAR, Coquitlam SAR, Mission SAR, Chilliwack SAR, and other agencies all took part in the search.
During the morning rescue efforts, “search and rescue crews located four bodies believed to belong to the group of hikers,” said Squamish RCMP Cpl. Sascha Banks in a statement. “This is not the outcome which we had hoped for.”
On Sunday evening, Lions Bay Search and Rescue announced via Twitter that the fifth person in the group had been located, calling it “a very sad day.”
A very sad day. Operations have concluded with the recovery of the five hikers. Our deepest condolences go out to their family and friends.
— Lions Bay SAR (@LionsBaySAR) April 10, 2017
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