Nation IN BRIEF : MONTANA : Avalanche Kills 4 Snowmobilers

A group of snowmobilers was caught in an avalanche on a mountain ridge near Kalispell, Mont., and at least four were killed, authorities said. Two others were rescued with minor injuries, and another person, a child, was missing. Rescuers using floodlights fired by portable generators worked into the night trying to find the missing boy. A spokeswoman for the Flathead County sheriff’s department said the avalanche occurred on Peter’s Ridge, about 6,000 feet up in the Swan Range some 15 miles east of Kalispell. It is a popular snowmobile riding area and had up to a foot of new snow over the previous 24 hours.