One person was killed and 56 others injured after a tour bus rolled over at the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
The accident occurred on Tuesday morning in Grand Canyon West on the Hualapai Reservation, an area that includes the West Rim of the Grand Canyon and the Skywalk, an observation deck that protrudes into the canyon, some 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) above the canyon floor.
A spokesperson for the tour company said the bus had collided with a visitor’s car by the parking lot.
Hualapai Emergency Services, GCW Air Rescue Fire, Lake Mohave Ranchos Fire Department, Northern Arizona Consolidated Fire Department, AMR ambulances, Bullhead Fire Department, and five medical flight agencies responded to the scene at around 9.50am.
The Hualapai tribe’s emergency operations said in a statement eight people who were injured “were flown to surrounding hospitals while the rest who sustained noncritical injuries were taken by ground transportation.”
According to the statement, the cause of the accident is under investigation by the Hualapai Nation Police Department and the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
It added: “The incident is ongoing and no further information is available at this time.”
According to the Grand Canyon West website the area “is a tribal enterprise of the sovereign Indian Nation of the Hualapai Tribe,” and upon visiting “you are entering the Hualapai Reservation where you can experience their heritage and rich traditions.”
Additional reporting from agencies
