Second officer dies after avalanche

The second off-duty officer who was caught in an avalanche in the British Columbia Interior earlier this month has died.

The City of Nelson says Const. Mathieu Nolet suffered severe internal injuries and died this morning in a Kelowna hospital.

The officers were backcountry skiing near Kaslo, B.C., in a mountain pass 60 kilometres north of Nelson, when they were swept down the mountain in a large avalanche.

Const. Wade Tittemore died of injuries on the scene while Nolet was dug from the avalanche by four people who witnessed the slide.

Nelson Police Chief Donovan Fisher says the news, which closely followed Tittemore’s memorial on Wednesday, is “devastating.”

Nolet worked in Nelson for just over a year after serving for a year with the Calgary Police Service.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 21, 2023.

The Canadian Press