There was no warning.
The rock slide that killed two people and injured several others in Banff National Park was a natural occurrence that could not have been stopped and anticipated in advance, Parks Canada said one day after part of a mountain gave way in western Alberta.
Francois Masse, the Parks Canada superintendent for the area, said tests at Bow Glacier Falls indicated the rock slide was the result of geological forces common in mountain areas.
“Sadly, this extremely rare event appears to have been neither preventable nor predictable,” Masse told a virtual news conference Friday.
“The scope and size of this rockfall is extremely rare for the mountain environment.”
On Friday, Parks Canada said the three injured hikers – two of whom were taken out by air ambulance – are in stable condition.
Lisa Paulson, Parks Canada visitor safety specialist, said emergency crews arrived to find bystanders were providing first aid several people in the debris who had been hurt.
“We estimate it was around 11 bystanders there that may have had some minor injuries, but nobody else required ambulance or EMS care other than the two very seriously injured and the one not as serious, but still needed ground transport by ambulance,” Paulson said.
In total, there were 13 visibly injured visitors and uninjured bystanders near the site when the disaster occurred in the early afternoon Thursday along a popular hiking trail near the falls, about 200 kilometres northwest of Calgary.
The recreational area will remain closed near the slide until scientists can ensure it’s safe.
“Safety is our top priority, and Parks Canada will take time to consider all options before making decisions related to the reopening of the area,” Masse said.
Both victims were found on Thursday however, due to instability in the area, emergency crews could not recover the second body until Friday.
While the first victim has been identified as 70-year-old Jutta Hinrichs of Calgary, no details have been released on the second deceased person.
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“RCMP is notifying their next of kin and no further information is available at this time,” police said in a news release after the second body was found. On Friday afternoon, police said that process was still in the process.
Helicopters were seen flying over the area late Thursday to look for potential missing hikers.
Parks Canada said teams that included search and rescue dogs, and aerial crews with thermal imaging drones, swept the area and are confident there is no one, dead or alive, left at the site of the rock slide.
Officials said there are no unidentified vehicles at the trailhead and no one is asking about the whereabouts of a loved one.
“No additional persons are believed to be missing at Bow Glacier Falls,” Masse said on Friday.
Emergency crews from Banff, Jasper, Calgary and surrounding communities all responded to the remote area along Highway 93, and worked through the night.
Emergency crews were first called to an area near Bow Glacier Falls at about 1:30 p.m. on Thursday. The site of the slide is located about 37 kilometres north of Lake Louise along the Icefields Parkway.
The Bow Glacier Falls hiking trail is a nine-kilometre route running along the edges of Bow Lake. It is considered a moderate challenge for hikers and is used by tourists and day-trippers, including families. The region has limited to no cellular service.
Kamala Dixon was in the area on the other side of the falls from where the slide occurred. She saw and heard the slide and began recording video of it on her cellphone until she realized there were people in the area where the rocks were falling.
“As I’m watching it, I realized there were people,” she told Global News. “That’s when I threw the phone in my backpack … and ran … to see if I could help in any way.
“It was pretty chaotic.”
Dixon said there was an agonizing wait of about 45 minutes for the helicopter to arrive.
“There were two gentlemen that administered first aid that were so brave, but they were putting themselves in harm’s way,” she said.
The first person found dead at the scene was Jutta Hinrichs, 70, a recently retired academic.
Hinrichs’ friends told Global News she had just returned to from hiking Machu Picchu in Peru last week. They said she was an accomplished occupational therapist who had “a beautiful, caring soul with a huge smile and love of people and nature.”
The University of Alberta issued a statement about Hinrichs’ death, saying she was an educator in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine who retired last summer.
“Jutta nurtured many students, preceptors and clinicians to flourish and grow,” the statement read in part.
Bow Lake reopened late Friday morning officials said. However, they noted that a no-fly zone remains in place in the area to ensure public safety and to allow for emergency operations.
“Alpine Club of Canada guests staying at Bow Hut are safe. Visitors staying at Bow Hut will be able to exit on schedule via the usual route, which is unaffected and safe to travel. ”
The Icefields Parkway remains open but officials warned that there could be intermittent traffic disruptions in the area.
— With files from Matthew Scace, The Canadian Press
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