B.C. bus crash: Interior Health says 53 patients taken to three hospitals after highway collision

A passenger bus crash on a highway in the B.C. Interior has sent more than 50 people to hospital, a local health authority said.

Few details have been released about the collision, but Interior Health tweeted 53 people are being treated at three hospitals in Kelowna, Penticton and Merritt.

The regional health authority said it has implemented a Code Orange response signalling a disaster or mass-casualty event. It said additional critical care staff in areas including the emergency department, medical imaging and surgery have been activated to support urgent patients.

There was no immediate word on whether anyone was killed in the crash, nor on the condition of any patients. The health authority has set up an information line for families looking for more details on loved ones.

The incident took place Christmas Eve on the Highway 97C Okanagan Connector between Merritt and Kelowna, prompting the closure of the roadway in both directions for more than 81 kilometres between Junction Hwy 97 and Aspen Grove.