Banff bus fire strands U.K. students on ski trip; no injuries

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LAKE LOUISE, Alta. – Two dozen youth visiting from the United Kingdom were shuttled to safety after their tour bus caught fire on a scenic highway in Banff National Park.

At about 5 p.m. yesterday, R-C-M-P in Lake Louise were called to the fire on the Icefields Parkway.

Mounties say there were 60 stranded passengers at the scene, including 48 youth on a school ski trip from Tonbridge, U.K.

The Athabasca Glacier, centre, part of the Columbia Icefields in Jasper National Park, Alta., is seen in moonlight on May 7, 2014. Two dozen youth visiting from the United Kingdom were shuttled to safety after their tour bus caught fire on a scenic Rocky Mountain highway. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

The Athabasca Glacier, centre, part of the Columbia Icefields in Jasper National Park, Alta., is seen in moonlight on May 7, 2014. Two dozen youth visiting from the United Kingdom were shuttled to safety after their tour bus caught fire on a scenic Rocky Mountain highway. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Police, firefighters, paramedics and Parks Canada responded and confirmed everyone got out of the bus without injuries.

While the occupants waited for another bus to take them to their destination, a local lodge provided temporary shelter.

RCMP believe the cause of the fire was mechanical.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 3, 2024.