Police say multiple people have been injured in a bus crash along Highway 39 south of Mackenzie, B.C.
Mackenzie RCMP say the bus left the roadway sometime Wednesday morning and several ambulances, including an air ambulance, have been called.
The local Mackenzie hospital, which has five emergency beds, has declared a code orange, according to Northern Health, the designation given to disaster or mass casualty events.
Casualty applies to both injuries and deaths.
Police have not said how many people were hurt, but said serious injuries had been reported.
B.C. Emergency Health Services and fire rescue are on scene.
More stories from Northern B.C.
The highway is expected to remain closed south of Mackenzie for several hours while emergency personnel provide medical care and investigators examine the scene. There are no alternate routes around the closure as of 11:30 a.m.
Police say limited details are available.
“We ask the public to avoid the area and allow emergency personnel the space they need to safely respond to this incident,” said RCMP Cpl. Brett Urano.
In a post to parents, Mackenzie Secondary School said the incident does not involve their school buses and that their students are safe.
The post said one school bus had been dispatched to the area to provide support and assistance but is not involved in the incident.
Northern Health has asked area residents avoid the Mackenzie and District Hospital emergency department for all but life-threatening emergency needs.
