3 snowbikers dead after avalanche in Quebec's Chic-Choc Mountains

Three Quebecers are dead following an avalanche in the Chic-Choc Mountains on the province’s Gaspé Penninsula.

Quebec provincial police received a distress call at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday from a person who was on a snowbike in the La Martre sector, near Mont Médaille. An avalanche had taken place and they reported that three other people were missing. 

The group of four was riding snowbikes — essentially dirt bikes with a ski for a front wheel and a caterpillar tread in the back.

Authorities launched a ground search operation. Firefighters from nearby Sainte-Anne-des-Monts along with ambulance crews were dispatched to support the Sûreté du Québec’s (SQ) avalanche team.

The three snow bikers were found