3 skiers killed, including American, in large avalanche in Canada
Three people were killed when a large avalanche swept away a group of skiers in Canada, officials said.
The avalanche struck just before 1 p.m. on Monday when two groups of skiers had just finished skiing and were waiting in a staging area below the tree line of Clute Creek water shed in an alpine area on the east side of Kootenay Lake in the British Columbia backcountry, according to a statement from the Kaslo Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
“A transport helicopter was nearing the group when the pilot observed an avalanche and sounded the siren,” officials said. “One group of skiers was able to run out of harm’s way, while the other group of four was swept away into the tree line.”
Efforts to recover the men were immediately initiated but when officials located them, they found three of them deceased.
They were identified as “a 44-year-old man from Whistler BC, a 45-year-old man from Idaho USA and the 53-year-old guide from Kaslo BC.”
The fourth man, a 40-year-old from Nelson, British Columbia, was critically injured.
Avalanche Canada said the Kootenays have a high danger rating at all elevations and that rising temperatures can create avalanche conditions.
(NEW YORK) — The climate crisis is not a distant threat; it’s happening right now and affecting what matters most to us. Hurricanes intensified by a warming planet and drought-fueled wildfires are destroying our communities. Rising seas and flooding are swallowing our homes. And record-breaking heat waves are reshaping our way of life.
The good news is we know how to turn the tide and avoid the worst possible outcomes. However, understanding what needs to be done can be confusing due to a constant stream of climate updates, scientific findings, and critical decisions that are shaping our future.
That’s why the ABC News Climate and Weather Unit is cutting through the noise by curating what you need to know to keep the people and places you care about safe. We are dedicated to providing clarity amid the chaos, giving you the facts and insights necessary to navigate the climate realities of today — and tomorrow.
Climate funders say they will cover US climate obligations after Paris Agreement withdrawal
On Monday, President Donald Trump announced his intention to withdraw the United States from the Paris Agreement, the U.N.-backed international climate treaty. Bloomberg Philanthropies announced Thursday that they, along with a coalition of climate charities, would step up and ensure that the U.S. meets its obligations under the Paris Agreement, including any financial and reporting requirements.
“While government funding remains essential to our mission, contributions like this are vital in enabling the UN Climate Change secretariat to support countries in fulfilling their commitments under the Paris Agreement and a low-emission, resilient, and safer future for everyone,” said Simon Stiell, United Nations climate change executive secretary, in a press statement.
This is the second time Trump has withdrawn the country from the Paris Agreement. During his first term, Trump justified backing out of the treaty by claiming that participating in the agreement would result in the loss of jobs and cost the U.S. trillions of dollars. In reality, in 2023, clean energy jobs grew at more than twice the rate of the overall U.S. labor market and accounted for more than 8.35 million positions, according to a Department of Energy report. In terms of spending, the U.S. has committed several billion dollars to the effort, not trillions.
Michael Bloomberg, a billionaire businessman, founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies and a U.N. Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions, said he also plans to continue supporting a coalition of states, cities and businesses that are working to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 61-66% below 2005 levels by 2035.
“More and more Americans have had their lives torn apart by climate-fueled disasters, like the destructive fires raging in California. At the same time, the United States is experiencing the economic benefits of clean energy, as costs have fallen and jobs have grown in both red and blue states. The American people remain determined to continue the fight against the devastating effects of climate change,” Bloomberg said.
(ROME) — Pope Francis “remained stationary” on Wednesday, “without showing any episodes of respiratory failure,” but rested peacefully overnight into Thursday, the Vatican said.
The pope, 88, received “high-flow oxygen therapy during the day, and noninvasive mechanical ventilation will be resumed during the night,” the Vatican’s press office said in its evening update.
“The Holy Father increased his respiratory physiotherapy and active motor therapy,” the Vatican’s press office, the Holy See, said. Pope Francis spent his 20th day in hospital on Wednesday in an armchair, participated in the “ritual blessing of the Holy Ashes that were imposed on him by the celebrant” and received the Eucharist, the Vatican said.
“During the morning he also called Father Gabriel Romanelli, parish priest of the Holy Family in Gaza. In the afternoon he alternated rest with work,” the Vatican said.
Viktor Kovalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
(LONDON) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine called on Western partners to apply more pressure to Russia after an overnight ballistic missile and drone strike killed at least one person and set multiple fires in the capital Kyiv.
“Apartment buildings, office buildings and civilian infrastructure were damaged,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. “All our services are working on the ground, helping people and eliminating the consequences of this terror.”
“Unfortunately, as of now, one person has died in Kyiv,” he added. “Four more were injured, including a child. My condolences to the family and friends.”
Ukraine’s air force reported downing six out of seven ballistic missiles fired at Kyiv and the central city of Kryvyi Rih — Zelenskyy’s home town. The air force said Russia also launched 123 strike drones into Ukraine, of which 71 were shot down and 40 were lost in flight.
Viacheslav Chaus, the governor of Ukraine’s Chernihiv Oblast, said two people were injured in a Russian drone strike on a critical infrastructure facility. Serhiy Lysak, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration, said the missile attack on Kryvyi Rih damaged infrastructure, high-rise residential, administrative and educational buildings.
Zelenskyy called on Western partners to apply greater pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin in response to the latest round of strikes, which came as both sides maneuver for an expected revival in peace talks after almost three years of full-scale war.
“This Russian terror against Ukraine will not stop on its own,” Zelenskyy wrote. “Putin is not preparing for peace — he continues to kill Ukrainians and destroy cities.”
“Only strong steps and pressure on Russia can stop this terror,” the Ukrainian leader said. “Right now, we need unity and support from all our partners in the fight for a just end to this war.”
The latest barrage came only hours after Steve Witkoff — President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy — flew to Moscow to facilitate the release of jailed American Mark Fogel. Fogel, 63, had been serving a 14-year prison sentence in a Russian prison colony after being arrested in 2021 on drug charges.
Trump later told reporters he thought Fogel’s return could advance negotiations to end Russia’s war on Ukraine. “I want to get the war ended,” Trump said.
Moscow has continued nightly drone and missile attacks ahead of potentially pivotal meetings between U.S. and Ukrainian officials this week.
Trump’s Russia-Ukraine envoy Keith Kellogg is due in Ukraine this week, while Vice President JD Vance is set to travel to the Munich Security Conference next weekend where Zelenskyy will lead Ukraine’s delegation.
Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Counter-Disinformation Center operating as part of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said on Telegram that “every public statement by the West about ‘progress’ in the movement towards peace is accompanied by missile strikes by the Russian Federation.”
Kovalenko suggested Putin would continue to employ such tactics through 2025. “These are methods of diplomacy that are closely intertwined with the front,” he wrote.
Ukraine is also continuing its long-range strike campaign into Russia. The Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Telegram on Wednesday that it downed seven Ukrainian drones over the western Belgorod and Kursk regions during the previous 24 hours.
ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and Max Uzol contributed to this report.
