Search for victims resumes after massive rockfall near Bow Lake in Banff National Park

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 20, 2025 10:56 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Rescuers successful Alberta were acceptable to resume their hunt for others who mightiness beryllium missing today aft a monolithic rockfall that killed 1 and injured 3 successful Banff National Park.

Parks Canada visitant information teams volition proceed moving to measure the tract with enactment from Canada Task Force Two (CAN-TF2 Calgary), a nationalist catastrophe effect team, officials said Friday successful a release.

"A Canada Task Force One … geotechnical technologist volition behaviour a slope stableness assessment. The information of archetypal responders and parkland visitors is our apical priority," the connection said.

The task unit squad is besides conducting infrared flights successful the country with assistance from members of the Calgary Police Service.

RCMP are inactive moving to notify adjacent of kin and nary further accusation astir the idiosyncratic who was killed is yet available, officials said.

The rockfall was reported astatine astir 1:30 p.m. connected Thursday erstwhile Lake Louise RCMP were notified that "multiple hikers" were caught successful a rockfall adjacent Bow Glacier Falls.

Parks Canada, the Lake Louise occurrence department, STARS Air Ambulance, the RCMP and EMS responded to the scene.

According to STARS, 2 helicopters were dispatched — STAR-1 from Calgary and STAR-3 from Edmonton — and transported 1 diligent each to Foothills Medical Centre successful Calgary.

The conditions of those taken to infirmary person not yet been shared.

Bow Lake remains closed to each visitors and a no-fly portion remains successful spot to guarantee nationalist information and for parkland operations, officials said.

"Alpine Club of Canada guests staying astatine Bow Hut are safe. Visitors staying astatine Bow Hut volition beryllium capable to exit connected docket via the accustomed route, which is unaffected and harmless to travel," the merchandise said. 

The Icefields Parkway (Highway 93N) remains unfastened with imaginable intermittent, short-term postulation stoppages successful the vicinity of the incident. 

Bow Glacier Falls is located astir 3 kilometres to the southwest of Bow Lake and is accessible via a fashionable hiking trail.