'He was like my big brother': Friend identifies second victim of Bow Glacier Falls rockfall

Fakiha Baig · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 23, 2025 6:10 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

A subsister of a rockfall past week successful Banff National Park is remembering his 33-year-old roommate and person who didn't marque it retired live from nether the rubble.

Khaled Elgamal, 28, of Surrey, B.C., says Hamza Benhilal was 1 of 2 radical who died aft a slab of upland gave mode past Thursday, raining stone down connected hikers astatine Bow Glacier Falls, astir 200 kilometres northwest of Calgary.

In an interrogation with The Canadian Press, Elgamal said helium was visiting Banff with Benhilal, an engineer, erstwhile they heard the large dependable of rocks dislodging. They began moving to information but did not get retired of the mode successful time.

He said helium was crushed by the chunks of stone and is recovering successful a Calgary infirmary from a fractured pelvis and shoulder. Benhilal did not survive.

"He was precise kind, generous and precise supportive," Elgamal said successful an interrogation Monday.

"He was similar my large brother. He ever had a grin connected his face. He was precise unfastened to the satellite due to the fact that helium had travelled truthful much."

Benhilal is 1 of 2 hikers who died successful the rockfall. The different idiosyncratic was identified past week arsenic 70-year-old Jutta Hinrichs, a retired assemblage prof from Calgary.

Parks Canada has closed the country astir the falls and has said thing could person prevented oregon predicted the rockfall.

The Bow Glacier Falls hiking way is simply a nine-kilometre way moving on the edges of Bow Lake. It is considered a mean situation for hikers and is utilized by tourists and day-trippers, including families.