UPDATE: One dead in school bus crash on Highway 97 near Lac La Hache

A school bus has crashed on Highway 97 in Lac La Hache and there are reports of injuries and officials have now confirmed one person died. 100 Mile House RCMP say at around 1 p.m. today, June 21, officers were called to a collision involving a school bus on Highway 97 at Butler Road near Lac La Hache. The bus crash was followed by a second incident in which a person was struck by a vehicle at the same location. The BC Highway Patrol confirmed one person is dead. The person who died was a pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle in a separate crash and despite first responders' efforts they were unable to save the individual's life. RCMP don't say if the person is an adult or a child. Several people have been taken to hospital with varying injuries but RCMP have not released an exact number. Police are now working to connect parents with the more than 30 children who were on the bus during the crash. Everyone who was on the bus has been accounted for. The school district is gathering parents at the recreation centre in 100 Mile to update them.  BC Highway Patrol and 100 Mile House RCMP are working on determining the cause of the crash but the initial assessment is the bus went off the road and down an embankment. The highway is still closed as investigators process the scene. BC Emergency Health Services said in an emailed statement 11 ambulances with primary and advanced care paramedics were dispatched along with seven air ambulances with critical care paramedics, supervisors and area managers. Social media reports said Royal Inland Hospital was on a code orange, which is a mass casualty alert.  SD 27 board chair Ciel Patenaude said they are still waiting on information to confirm any details. “I don’t have any up-to-date information, we're all just waiting on it right now,” she said. “All I know is they were travelling to Horse Lake and 100 Mile. I don’t know which school.” Any witnesses or people with dash camera footage are asked to call BC Highway Patrol at 250-395-2456. — This story was updated at 4:17 p.m. Friday, June 21, 2024 with new information from BC Emergency Health Services. — This story was updated at 5:16 p.m. Friday, June 21, 2024 with new information from RCMP. To contact a reporter for this story, email Jesse Tomas mailto:jtomas@infonews.ca  or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .