CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Rescue crews, police and paramedics rushed to the remote Canadian Rocky Mountain region of Banff National Park late Thursday after receiving reports that a group of hikers were hit by a rock slide, causing possible injuries and deaths.
“The initial report indicated there were multiple hikers and there may be serious injuries and/or fatalities,” Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cpl. Gina Slaney said in a news release.
Parks Canada said in a statement that it is responding to a report of “a serious rockfall incident with involvement near Bow Glacier Falls in Banff National Park.”
The site is north of Lake Louise on the Icefields Parkway, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) northwest of Calgary. It is also about 137 kms (85 miles) away from where leaders including U.S. President Donald Trump met at the Group of Seven Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta this week.
Temporary road closures were expected on the Icefields Parkway near Bow Lake in order to allow responders to work. Parks Canada has asked visitors to avoid the area.
STARS Air Ambulance spokeswoman Kate Langille said two of its units were deployed around 2 p.m. She said the organization would have more to say after crews returned to their bases in Edmonton and Calgary.
The Bow Glacier Falls hiking trail is a 9-kilometer (six mile) route open year-round, running along the edges of Bow Lake.
It’s considered a moderate challenge for hikers and day-trippers include families.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she was deeply saddened.
“We are thinking of all those involved and wishing for their safety as we await further details,” she said in a post on social media.
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