Emergency services are mobilized to find three snowmobilers who are in difficulty, in the Chic-Chocs wildlife reserve, in Gaspésie.
According to Sergeant Stéphane Tremblay, spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), the three people were found in the Mont Médaille sector or in the Mont Martre sector.
The call to emergency services was made around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday evening. It reported a group of snowmobilers in distress following a possible avalanche. In the evening, the police force was not able to confirm whether this situation was indeed due to an avalanche.
SQ snowmobilers specialized in such circumstances were deployed, as well as personnel from the sector’s fire protection services. For the moment, the deployment of rescuers is only on land, said Mr. Tremblay. “There is no air deployment at this stage,” he said.
According to the Avalanche Quebec website, which issues daily bulletins on avalanche risks in the central Chic-Chocs sector, the risk was “moderate” in the alpine zone and at the treeline on Tuesday. It was “low” below treeline. “Tuesday will be a beautiful day to enjoy the snow in the mountains,” we could also read.
For the days of Wednesday and Thursday, the risk of avalanche promises to be “considerable” in all areas, warns the organization. This classifies risk according to five levels: low, moderate, considerable, high and extreme.
Consult the Avalanche Québec newsletter