Several injured, some seriously, in bus crash in blizzard conditions
Police say the bus, headed to Calgary from Lake Louise, had 15 people on board
Mounties from the Cochrane, Alta., detachment say several people were hurt last night when a bus crashed into a ditch and rolled over.
Police say the bus was eastbound on Highway 1 with 15 people on board when it hit the ditch east of Highway 22 around 6 p.m. Â The bus had been travelling from Lake Louise to Calgary.
They say several people were taken to hospital with minor to serious injuries — but none life-threatening.
Cpl. Ronald Bumbry said part of the group had to be taken to hospital by emergency services personnel, and others were transported by police. EMS had been delayed due to the extreme weather conditions at the time, including high winds and blowing snow. Â
Cochrane RCMP officers were also called to the scene of another crash on Highway 1 near Jumping Pound last night that involved four tractor-trailers and 11 other vehicles.Â
The bus crash was one of many vehicular accidents in Alberta on Saturday.Â
Alberta RCMP issued a statement Sunday afternoon, saying that detachments are still responding to a number of collisions in the southern Alberta area near Cochrane and Strathmore and there are delays on some routes as vehicles are being removed.Â
As of 2:45 p.m. Sunday, blizzard warnings had ended for all forecast areas, Environment Canada said. A snowfall warning was still in effect for Banff National Park.Â
My friend sent me highway 1 road conditions on the drive from Kananskis to Calgary 😲.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/abstorm?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#abstorm</a> <a href="https://t.co/cEB8VhU55c">pic.twitter.com/cEB8VhU55c</a>
—@KirkLubimovIn Calgary, from 5 p.m. Saturday until 5 a.m. Sunday there were 109 non-injury vehicular accidents, 18 accidents that resulted in injury, and 20 hit and runs, Det. Shawn Rupchan said.
"We're still cautioning drivers to stay off [the roads] unless they absolutely have to," he said.
Plows are working their way through the city's major routes, but side streets and residential areas have not been plowed. Â
Environment Canada data said about 13 centimetres of snow fell in Calgary Saturday.
The Calgary airport said both flight departures and arrivals were affected by the snow. Multiple flights were showing as either cancelled or delayed on the airport's website.
We’re supporting our airline partners after many cancelled flights due to Saturday’s blizzard. They’re working to rebook guests who experienced delays, diversions and cancellations. Our crews are focussing on clearing runways and taxiways. 1/2
—@FlyYYCThe storm also caused several small power outages around the city, according to Enmax's website.
With files from Jade Markus, Sarah Rieger, The Canadian Press