Christmas Eve bus crash on B.C. Freeway 97C sends 53 individuals to hospital

Officers say a significant crash involving a passenger bus on B.C. Freeway 97C, close to the Loon Lake exit of the Okanagan Connector, has despatched 53 individuals to hospitals Saturday night.

DriveBC, the communications arm of the B.C. Ministry of Transportation, first tweeted that there was a “automobile incident” that shut the freeway round 7 p.m. PT. At round 8:30 p.m. PT, B.C. Well being Emergency Companies tweeted that a number of units of emergency responders have been on the scene of the crash.

Inside Well being, the native health-care authority, stated in an announcement at round 10 p.m. PT that they weren’t ready to supply the extent of the accidents for many who have been despatched to hospital, together with whether or not there have been any fatalities. No trigger was instantly offered for the crash.

Well being Minister Adrian Dix stated the incident prompted Inside Well being to provoke a Code Orange response to supply emergency care. The time period Code Orange is mostly used to explain a mass casualty or catastrophe state of affairs at hospitals.

Medical groups are receiving the sufferers in Penticton Regional Hospital, Kelowna Basic Hospital and Nicola Valley Hospital in Merritt, in response to Inside Well being. The authority stated they have been working to attach households with the crash victims on Saturday night time.

“In these conditions, Inside Well being prompts workers in crucial care areas such because the emergency division, medical imaging and surgical procedure to help pressing sufferers,” Dix stated. “My deepest gratitude to the primary responders and medical groups who responded instantly to the decision.”

Premier David Eby expressed his condolences to the individuals injured within the crash by way of social media.

“Shocked and saddened by the information of a severe bus accident between Merritt and Kelowna on the Okanagan Connector,” a Twitter put up from Eby learn.

Freeway 97C, or the Okanagan Connector, is a 224-km stretch of street that runs east from Cache Creek within the central Inside to Kelowna within the Okanagan Valley, B.C.’s third-largest metropolitan space.

In accordance with DriveBC, the bus crash occurred close to the Loon Lake exit of the freeway, which is 330 km east of Vancouver and round 85 km west of Kelowna.

DriveBC stated the freeway connecting Merritt and Kelowna has been closed in each instructions as of seven:30 p.m. PT.

The crash comes after every week of winter storm warnings introduced vital snow all through B.C., together with to the southern Inside the place the crash occurred.

A particular climate assertion from Atmosphere Canada, issued Saturday afternoon, warns that snow blended with ice pellets or freezing rain is anticipated within the Okanagan Valley beginning Sunday.