15 patients released, 5 still hospitalized following bus crash near Mackenzie, B.C.

Northern Health says 15 people have been released from hospital and five are still receiving care following a major bus crash near Mackenzie, north of Prince George, B.C., Wednesday.

WorkSafeBC and RCMP are still investigating what police described as a “chaotic scene” when the northbound shuttle bus went off Highway 39, causing hospitals in Prince George and Mackenzie to declare a code orange. No other vehicles were involved.

Six air ambulances and six ground ambulances treated and transported 20 patients with injuries ranging from minor to serious, according to B.C. Emergency Health Services.

Northern Health says all 20 patients were taken to hospital in either Prince George or Mackenzie, with fifteen being treated and released. Four others remain in care locally, while one was airlifted to another facility elsewhere in the province.

WATCH | Major bus crash in northern B.C.:

About 20 people hospitalized after bus crash near Mackenzie

Updates on their conditions are not being shared by BCEHS, Northern Health or RCMP, who all cited patient privacy.

Operations at both hospitals have since returned to normal, with Northern Health thanking “the physicians, nurses, first responders and other health professionals in Mackenzie and Prince George whose rapid and highly-professional response saved lives and prevented this tragic incident from taking an even greater toll on the victims.”

‘Nothing has been ruled out’: Police

B.C. Highway Patrol has taken control of the investigation, with RCMP saying that while no arrests have been made, “the cause of the crash is still uncertain” and “nothing has been ruled out.”

WorkSafeBC is also investigating with a spokesperson saying they are “working with law enforcement partners to establish an understanding of the factors related to this incident.“

The shuttle bus was carrying workers subcontracted by Iren, a multinational data centre company with facilities in Mackenzie and Prince George.