Two people are in serious condition and more than 30 others have been injured after a major collision involving a tour bus and tow truck on the Coquihalla Highway in the B.C. Interior.
The three-vehicle crash closed all northbound lanes and one southbound lane of the highway near Brookmere, B.C, roughly 250 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, shortly after 10 a.m. on Saturday.
Police say about 35 patients have been transported to hospital, including the driver of the tow truck and a tour guide who sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The driver and passenger of a car involved in the collision were also injured.
The RCMP say there were 30 people on the bus and many suffered minor injuries. 24 people have been admitted to hospitals in Kelowna, Kamloops and Merritt. Most had non-life-threatening injuries,.
B.C. Ambulance Service says that 12 ground ambulances and four helicopters were dispatched to the scene.
CJ Hodgson, who witnessed the collision, said the coach bus took the brunt of damage.
"The front third of the bus is ripped off, smashed in (and) open," she told CTV Vancouver. "It looks awful."
The other vehicles also appeared to have sustained heavy damage. The tow truck' hood was dislodged and its rear towing equipment was crumpled. The car also had its rear end smashed in.
Police say the car struck a deer earlier in the morning and was inoperable. The tow truck arrived to haul it away and was struck by the tour bus.
The RCMP have initiated an investigation and charges are pending.
With files from The Canadian Press
