Canada: 53 people hospitalized in bus accident

A bus crash on a highway in British Columbia on New Year’s Day has sent 53 people to different hospitals in western Canada, local officials said. The cause of the crash remains unknown as the province has been hit for a week by warnings of winter storms that brought heavy snowfall, including in the area about a 3-hour drive east of Vancouver. .

“Our thoughts are with the victims, their loved ones and first responders and caregivers,” British Columbia Premier David Eby said in a statement, saying he was “shocked and saddened” by the news.

A total of 53 victims have been admitted to three different hospitals, the regional health authority said on Twitter, adding that it had mobilized staff in the home health, intensive care units. However, the authorities could not provide information about their condition.

Canada faces a series of winter storms that affect the country from east to west. In Ontario, extreme conditions derailed a freight train on Saturday, causing all trains between Toronto and Ottawa and Toronto and Montreal to be canceled for Christmas Day.

Prior to this incident, a tree that fell on a locomotive causing power outages had already caused significant delays overnight from Friday to Saturday. Many commuters between Ottawa and Toronto had to wait until almost 6 p.m., with some leaving en route.