Several injured as bus crashes on way to B.C. copper mine

At least seven people have been taken to hospital after a bus crash near a copper mine in B.C.'s Cariboo region.

A bus transporting workers to a copper mine in B.C.’s Central Interior crashed Friday morning, leaving several people injured.

The bus was less than a kilometre from the Gibraltar mine, located northeast of Williams Lake, when the vehicle “left the road” at approximately 7 a.m., according to a statement from Taseko Mines.

“Upon leaving the road, the bus remained upright and came to an abrupt stop,” the company said.

B.C. Emergency Health Services told CTV News paramedics provided emergency medical treatment to seven people at the scene, then transported them to hospital.

All seven were in stable condition, BCEHS spokesperson Brian Twaites said.

There were 19 people on the bus at the time of the crash, according to Taseko Mines, including the driver, who was among the injured.

In a statement, Staff Sgt. Kris Clark of the B.C. RCMP said the circumstances leading to the crash “remain under investigation, and causal factors are not yet known.”

Last week, a contract worker died during an accident in an active mining area of the Gibraltar site, the nature of which has not been made public.

At the time, Taseko vice-president of corporate affairs Sean Magee issued a statement saying operations would be halted “until the accident has been fully investigated.”