Three people were killed and 14 others suffered critical injuries when one of the massive glacier sightseeing buses with 27 people on board, overturned on the approach to the Columbia Icefield, one of the prime tourist spots in the Canadian Rockies.
The accident happened Saturday afternoon when the bus rolled over and came to rest on a rocky slope, its six huge monster-truck tires pointed up to the sky.
Work was underway Sunday to remove the bus from the rollover site so it could be further inspected. Trucks with flatbeds were brought in, but RCMP Sgt. Rick Bidaisee said more equipment would likely be needed.
At least one witness has said he saw a rock slide cause the crash, but Bidaisee said it’s too early to know what happened.
“We’re at the infancy stage of the investigation and all steps are being taken to determine the cause of the rollover,” he said.
The iconic red and white big-wheeled buses regularly take tourists up a rough rocky road onto the Athabasca Glacier in Jasper National Park.
Alberta Heath Services said, of the 24 survivors, 14 had life-threatening head or pelvis injuries. Five others were in serious condition with broken bones and the remaining five suffered minor injuries.
None of the passengers has been publicly identified.
A mammoth rescue effort was underway after the crash.
The Columbia Icefield is picturesque but remote, situated about an hour from Jasper on the Icefields Parkway, which runs between Banff and Jasper national parks. Cell service is spotty in the area.
The bus rolled as it approached the Athabasca Glacier, far from the main highway.
The response to the accident involved 28 ground ambulances, fixed-wing air ambulances, and helicopters.
Ground ambulances responded from Calgary, Jasper, Nordegg, Banff, Rocky Mountain House, Canmore, Hinton, Edmonton, and Sundre. Air ambulances responded from Lac La Biche, Slave Lake and Edmonton.
With no road access for conventional vehicles to the crash site, health officials say patients were triaged and treated near the bus before being airlifted from the scene to waiting ambulances at a nearby staging area.
Nineteen of the 24 patients were then either helicoptered or driven to the Jasper-Hinton airport, where they where transferred to medical planes for flights to big-city trauma centres.
Hospitals in both Edmonton and Calgary were put on “Code Orange” alert so that they were prepared for the high number of patients.
The first ground ambulance arrived from Jasper at 3:17 p.m. local time, and the last patient was transported from the scene at 8:43 p.m.
In a tweet Sunday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his condolences to those affected by the wreck.
“To those who lost a loved one in yesterday’s bus crash at the Columbia Icefields, know that we are here for you and are keeping you in our thoughts,” Trudeau said. “We also wish a full recovery to those who were injured. And to the first responders, thank you for your quick action and hard work.”
In a statement on Sunday, the company that runs the tours expressed sympathy. Dave McKenna, president of Pursuit, also thanked first responders.
“An update will be provided following the investigation,” McKenna said.
The company reopened the icefield tours about a month ago with 50 percent capacity after being closed due to COVID-19. The crash put further tours on hold for the time being.