New Zealand snowboarder dies in avalanche

A New Zealand man died in an avalanche while snowboarding on South Island, police said today.

The 30-year-old Queenstown man was the second person to die in an avalanche in the South Island mountains in nine days, after an Australian tourist was buried while heli-skiing.

The New Zealand man was snowboarding off-trail outside Coronet Skifield, police Inspector Warren Kemp said.

Police said searchers located him about two hours after he was buried Sunday. He was flown to a hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Kemp said police would not release details about the man's identity until his family had been informed.

New Zealand's Mountain Safety Council issued an avalanche alert July 24, after warm winds triggered "dangerous" conditions along South Island's Southern Alps.

It warned skiers, snowboarders, climbers and hikers to avoid backcountry travel until the danger subsides.