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COLUMBIA ICEFIELD, Alta. — Police worked to remove an upturned glacier bus in one of the country’s prime tourist spots on Sunday, a day after three people were killed and 14 others suffered life-threatening injuries when the vehicle rolled over.
A lone RCMP truck with its lights flashing guarded the entrance to the road where the vehicle appeared to have rolled about 50 metres down a steep embankment for as yet unknown reasons. Authorities were still trying to work out how to move the coach.
“That’s going to be part and parcel is the logistics to have that vehicle removed from the site itself,” RCMP Cpl. Leigh Drinkwater said.
One person could be seen on top of the “Ice Explorer,” which remained on its roof. Three semi-trailer trucks, two with flatbeds, were at the entrance.
The iconic red and white vehicles, which look like buses with monster-truck tires, regularly leave from a visitor centre and take tourists up a rough road onto the Athabasca Glacier in Jasper National Park.
Authorities were still trying to puzzle out why the sightseeing bus rolled at one of the most popular attractions in the Rocky Mountains, the Columbia Icefield, early Saturday afternoon.
In all, 27 people were aboard when it crashed. Air ambulances from across the province ferried the injured from the picturesque but remote location.
Alberta Heath Services said 24 patients were taken to hospitals in Edmonton, Grande Prairie and Calgary, 14 of them with life-threatening injuries. AHS said four others were in serious but stable condition while the remaining six were listed as stable.
There was no further word Sunday on the conditions or identities of those involved. Police did say the three people killed were adults. They also confirmed no further fatalities.
In a tweet Sunday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his condolences.
“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 for the victims and their families. Dave McKenna, president of Pursuit, also thanked first responders.
“The RCMP and Occupational Health and Safety are on site and actively investigating,” McKenna said in a statement. “An update will be provided following the investigation.”
The company reopened the icefield tours about a month ago with 50 per cent capacity after being closed due to COVID-19. The tour has guests drive onto the Athabasca Glacier, where they can walk on the glacier and fill their water bottles with the pure, cold runoff.
The vehicle was on its way to the glacier when it crashed.
Rob Kanty, who was on an earlier bus and witnessed the incident, said he believed a rockslide might have played a role.
“We watched the event unfold from the parking lot,” Kanty said in an email. “We could see the dust and rocks still sliding down the mountain towards the tour bus already rolled over on its roof.”
The Columbia Icefield is one of the largest non-polar icefields in the world. It is located about 100 kilometres south of Jasper and accessed from Highway 93 North, the Icefields Parkway. The parkway leads from Jasper down to Lake Louise through Banff and Jasper national parks and is one of Canada’s most scenic drives.
Bill Graveland, The Canadian Press