GRAND FALLS-WINDSOR, N.L. — A team of young synchronized skaters, their coaches and parents were recovering Friday after a bus slid off the icy Trans-Canada Highway and flipped on its side in central Newfoundland.
Police said the frightening mishap late Thursday near Grand Falls-Windsor caused no life-threatening injuries, but several people were taken to hospital.
A spokesman for provincial Health Minister Steve Kent confirmed that two patients were airlifted to St. John's, while three others were still in a local hospital for minor injuries. Hugh Donnan said no other details were being released for privacy reasons.
Grand Falls-Windsor fire Chief Vince MacKenzie got a call just after 10 p.m. Thursday that the DRL-LR bus had veered off the westbound lane and flipped on its side.
The bus was carrying 55 people including the driver. Passengers included about 40 young skaters aged 8 to 18 from the Silver Blades club in Corner Brook who were heading to the provincial synchronized skating championships in Clarenville, N.L.
The bus company could not be reached for comment.
Bev Power of Skate Canada Newfoundland and Labrador said they decided to make the six-hour trip Thursday night to try to avoid even worse weather expected early Friday.
"People are on their way to recovering," she said of the ordeal that was supposed to be the start of a fun competition.
Heavy snowfall had turned to rain around the time of the accident, which happened two kilometres west of Grand Falls-Windsor. The highway was described by MacKenzie as "treacherous" and about 20 people, including children as young as six, were standing near the bus when he arrived at the scene.
"Some of these children had no shoes, were standing on the icy road, and of course some of the people were bleeding," he said Friday.
MacKenzie said there were some suspected broken bones and possible back injuries as responders worked to get the rest of the passengers out.
The injured were taken to hospital at the Central Newfoundland Regional Health Centre, about four kilometres away, within about 40 minutes, he added.
"I'm just very, very glad that everybody turned out to be relatively OK.
"From a mass casualty point of view, this is the worst incident in my 32-year career that I've ever seen."
MacKenzie praised the co-operation of about 25 firefighters, medical responders, the RCMP and local search and rescue crews who helped comb nearby woods in case anyone had been thrown. A crane was used to make sure no one was trapped beneath the bus.
It's the sort of scenario responders train for in mock disaster drills, MacKenzie said.
"Of course, this time the blood was real."
A photo posted on the fire chief's Twitter account shows emergency crews in yellow, reflective vests huddled in the snow next to the roof hatch of the overturned bus. Responders were at the scene near Beothuk Park until about 2 a.m.
