Three people died and 24 were injured after their tour bus capsized in Canada’s Jasper National Park, authorities and tourism officials said Sunday.
The off-road “Ice Explorer” was headed for the Athabasca Glacier, the most visited glacier in North America, in Alberta’s remote Columbia Icefield when the accident occurred on Saturday afternoon, the company operating the bus said, Pursuit, in a statement.
Three adults were confirmed dead, the spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl. Leigh Drinkwater said. The injured were rushed to hospitals in Calgary, Edmonton, Grand Prairie and Hinton, and Alberta health services tweeted. Fourteen people were in critical condition, the department said.
“For those who lost a loved one in yesterday’s bus accident in the Columbia Icefields, know that we are here to help you and keep you in our thoughts,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted. “We also want a full recovery for those who were injured. And to the first responders, thank you for your quick action and hard work. ”
Drinkwater said investigators were working to determine why the bus overturned.
A person on another tour around the time of the accident said the bus was hit by a rock slide on the Athabasca glacier.
The buses typically hold 56 people, although ride sizes have been reduced due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Pursuit website.
