Four people died and dozens of others were injured when the bus they were travelling on rolled over on an icy highway in the British Columbia Interior on Christmas Eve, provincial RCMP said Sunday.
The Mounties said they received multiple calls on Saturday shortly after 6 p.m. regarding the crash on the Highway 97C Okanagan Connector east of Merritt near the Loon Lake exit.
The force confirmed the multiple fatalities on Sunday afternoon, but provided no details about the victims.
Interior Health, the regional health authority, said 52 patients were transported to four hospitals where 36 were treated for injuries that ranged from serious to minor.
It said eight people were still in hospitals in Penticton, Kelowna and Kamloops as of early Sunday morning, including two in serious condition and two with non−life−threatening injuries.
“Although the number of patients remaining in hospital is low, this is a life−altering incident for all involved, from the initial physical injuries to the emotional and spiritual impacts of an incident such as this,” Interior Health said in a statement.
Mounties said the investigation into the rollover is ongoing, but said it’s believed extremely icy local road conditions caused the rollover.
The bus belonged to the Alberta−based company Ebus. Director John Stepovy said the vehicle was travelling from Kelowna, B.C., to Vancouver at the time of the crash.
“First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers are with everyone that was onboard, the coach and their family and loved ones,” he said.
“(We’re) Certainly thankful for the first responders, RCMP, the health workers for their support and work on this and I can say that we’re continuing to cooperate with the RCMP.”
Ebus, a sister company of the Red Arrow bus company, offers services through the Alberta cities of Edmonton, Red Deer, Calgary and Fort McMurray, as well as from Vancouver into the interior of British Columbia.
Interior Health implemented a Code Orange response— signalling a disaster or mass−casualty event — in the hours following the crash. Additional critical care staff in areas including emergency departments, medical imaging and surgery have been activated to support urgent patients.
