Four people are dead and over 50 people are hospitalised after a bus rolled over on an “extremely icy” motorway on Christmas eve.
The bus crashed around 6 pm local time on Highway 97C east of Merritt, about 170 miles northeast of Vancouver in Canada.
Emergency responders said 52 people were taken to the nearest hospital and 36 of them were treated for injuries that ranged from minor to serious.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said an investigation into the crash was ongoing but that “it is believed that extremely icy road conditions caused the rollover.”
The temperature was about -6 Celsius in Merritt around the time of the crash, according to weather records.
The commercial passenger bus was travelling westbound when it went off the road and rolled onto its side in the eastbound lanes, according to a statement from the police.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash, which happened around 60 miles north of the Canada-US border.
In a social media post with an update, the Interior Health said: “We are not in a position to provide patient conditions at this time.
“We will make every effort to connect families with patients as soon as possible.”
Michaela Swan, a spokeswoman for the health care provider Interior Health, said: “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."
Extremely cold weather has wracked North America and Canada, with every province and territory in Canada having issued an emergency weather warning over the weekend.
Thousands of residents have been without power over Christmas and roads have slickened, becoming treacherous.
In a statement, the premier of British Columbia, David Eby said he was “shocked and saddened” to hear of the crash.
“Our thoughts are with those impacted by the crash, their loved ones and the first responders and health care workers giving their all to treat people and keep them safe,” the statement said.
Adrian Dix, British Columbia’s minister of health, on Twitter thanked “everyone who answered the call of duty on Christmas Eve.”
