Two people died after a rock fall struck several hikers in Banff National Park in Canadian Rockies.
One was identified by the University of Alberta as retired professor Jutta Hinrichs, who was found on Thursday. The second was discovered on Friday, according to Parks Canada and Royal Canadian Montée (RCC).
Three other people were injured and treated in a hospital, said a spokesperson for Parks Canada. Officials believe that all the others in the region are recorded and have canceled rescue efforts.
The Bow Glacier Falls Randing Trail measures six kilometers (9 km) long and short along Lake Bow. It is classified as a moderate hiking challenge.
The fall of rock occurred Thursday afternoon north of Lake Louise, a tourist town at 124 miles (200 km) northwest of Calgary, Alberta.
In a statement, the University of Alberta said that Henrichs was a “devoted leader and educator who worked in the therapy department of the Rehabilitation Faculty.
“As a Educator, Jutta has fed many students, tutors and clinicians to flourish and grow. That his work continues to enrich the tapestry of occupational therapy in Alberta is his heritage,” continued the declaration.
Corporal Gina Slaney with the RCMP said that information on the second victim will be released after their family is informed.
Videos of the shared online incident show a large rock falling on a mountainside and large clouds of dust rising.
François Masse, superintendent of Parks Canada of Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay Field Unit, said that the fall of rock was an “extremely rare event” which was “neither predictable nor avoidable”.
The rock falls are quite common in the Rockies, he said, but “what was exceptional was the size of the slab which detached” from the mountain.
The path to tilt Glacier Falls has been closed in the predictable future, he added.
Niclas Brundell witnessed the incident while hiking in the region with his wife.
“We have heard that as a” piece “noise and the whole roof of the wall detached,” he told CBC News. “And we just started to sprinter. I shouted on my wife: “Come on, come on, go!” We have to run as fast as possible.
“We just continued to sprint and I couldn’t see the people behind us anymore because they were all in this cloud of rocks. And I saw rocks come out of that. So it was, like the side of the mountain.”
Ron Hallman, president and chief executive officer of Parks Canada, expressed the grief of the incident. “My thoughts concern the families and friends of those who are affected,” he said.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also presented his condolences.
“I want to approach the tragedy at Bow Glacier Falls, and offer my condolences to those close to those who have lost their lives in this tragic accident. And wishes a complete recovery to all those who were injured,” he told journalists in Ottawa at a press conference on Friday.
