FERNIE, British Columbia - Three men made the wrenching decision to save themselves and leave eight fellow snowmobilers buried in the snow after two deadly avalanches in southeastern British Columbia on Sunday.

KING

The search is resuming with daylight for eight snowmobilers buried by an avalanche near Fernie, British Columbia, near the Alberta border.

Teams of rescuers were to resume their search for the eight missing men at first light Monday morning, but a hospital spokeswoman said fatalities had been reported. Sgt. Tim Shields of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said authorities were preparing for the worst.

The search is resuming with daylight for eight snowmobilers buried by an avalanche near Fernie, British Columbia, near the Alberta border.

"We know that the more time that goes by, we have to be realistic (in) that we know what happens in these type of situations," Shields said. "But we have hope."

Two groups of snowmobilers were out in a popular backcountry area about 25 miles south of Fernie when one group of seven was buried by an avalanche, police said.

A second group of four riders heard their shouts and raced to help dig out some of the riders, managing to get about 10 feet down into the snow.

A second avalanche then swept the area, burying the entire group of 11.

Two of the buried riders managed to free themselves within about 20 minutes, RCMP said.

"These two used their avalanche beacons to locate a third buried victim, who they rescued after an additional 20 minutes of digging," the police statement said.

The three realized the possibility of a third avalanche was high and decided to get out of the area. They started to walk out, and their emergency communication devices pinpointed their location to rescue personnel.

Two of the three survivors were assessed and released while the third was expected to remain in a hospital until Monday.

All eleven men were from the nearby town of Sparwood in B.C.'s Elk Valley, about 550 miles east of Vancouver near the Alberta border.

The Canadian Avalanche Center issued an alert on Sunday saying mountain conditions in the region were "very touchy" because of a new snowstorm with wind, combined with a weak snowpack.