Three dead, 24 injured after glacier sightseeing bus rolls over in Canada

Three people were killed and 24 others were injured when their sightseeing bus rolled over in Canada’s Jasper National Park, authorities and tour officials said Sunday.

The all-terrain Ice Explorer was on its way to Athabasca Glacier, the most visited glacier in North America, in the remote Columbia Icefield of Alberta when the accident occurred Saturday afternoon, the company that operates the bus, Pursuit, said in a statement.

Three adults were confirmed dead, said Cpl. Leigh Drinkwater, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokesman. The injured were taken to hospitals in Calgary, Edmonton, Grand Prairie and Hinton, Alberta Health Services tweeted. Fourteen people were in critical condition, the department said.

“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,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted. “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.”

Drinkwater said investigators were working to determine why the bus rolled over.

A person who was on another sightseeing tour around the time of the accident said the bus was struck by a rock slide at Athabasca Glacier.

The buses typically hold 56 people, although tour sizes have been reduced because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Pursuit’s website.