With files from Brendan Pawliw, Kate Brown and Calvin Hector
Twenty people were caught up in a grizzly bear attack in Bella Coola that sent three children and a teacher to hospital in Vancouver.
Provincial officials said two of the patients are in critical condition and two are listed as serious. Seven others were treated for minor injuries at the scene but did not require hospitalization.
The victims were part of a school group of students and teachers having lunch along a trail near a river when a grizzly bear emerged from the forest and attacked. Several teachers intervened, using bear spray and a bear banger to drive the animal away.
Bella Coola is a remote coastal community about 700 kilometres northwest of Vancouver.
Environment and Parks Minister Tamara Davidson said the outcome could have been far worse if not for the quick actions of teachers who stepped in to protect students.
Clip: Tamara Davidson – ‘Recognize the teachers”
“I want to recognize the teachers who took great risk in protecting their students,” Davidson said in a briefing Friday.
She urged residents and visitors to stay indoors while officers search for the bear.
Clip: Tamara Davidson – ‘People came together’
The investigation is focused on determining what led to the attack. Officers are examining the area, gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses and victims. Preliminary information suggests the bear may have been previously injured.
Eight conservation officers are in Bella Coola with traps set to capture the animal.
Insp. Kevin Van Damme of the B.C. Conservation Officer Service said there have been more bear-human conflicts in the area than usual this year.
Clip: Insp. Kevin Van Damme – ‘This is extremely rare’
Clip: Insp. Kevin Van Damme – ‘Couple of bears with more conflicts’
Video from B.C. Conservation office
