'He saved me': Banff rockfall survivor pays tribute to friend who died on Bow Glacier Falls trail
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Khaled Elgamal says Hamza Benhilal of Surrey, B.C., was one of two people who died after a slab of mountain gave way Thursday, raining rock down on hikers at Bow Glacier Falls, about 200 kilometres northwest of Calgary.
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'He was my friend but also like my big brother,' Elgamal, 28, said in an interview Monday from a hospital bed in Calgary. He is recovering from a fractured pelvis and shoulder, cuts and scrapes.
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'I'm still shocked,' said Elgamal. 'I'm still getting flashbacks of the scene.'
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He said he met Benhilal in 2022 when they were enrolled in the same online master of business administration program at University Canada West.
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Elgamal was living in Egypt and Benhilal was in Morocco. They both moved to B.C. in 2022 and became housemates.
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Elgamal, now a financial adviser, and Benhilal, an engineer, had just arrived in Banff for a vacation and a hotel worker recommended they visit Bow Glacier Falls, as the site's parking lot is usually less crowded.
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'We didn't even have it on our bucket list for that day. We were planning to go to Lake Louise,' Elgamal said.
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He said a third friend on the trip decided to stay behind at the hotel, and he and Benhilal drove to the falls.
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'We took a bunch of pictures at the lake first and then started the hike to the waterfall.'
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'It sounded like a thunderstorm.'
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When he turned around, Elgamal said he saw a large boulder fall from the mountain and shatter into pieces when it hit the ground.
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Benhilal was in front of him and screamed at Elgamal to run.
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'He saved me by screaming,' Elgamal said. 'I froze like a deer in headlights.'
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Elgamal said he turned and ran a few steps, and a rock hit his feet and he fell to the ground. He looked up and saw his friend for the last time running and eventually disappearing in the dust.
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Elgamal said he was in and out of consciousness on the ground as stones hit his head and body. 'Every time a rock was hitting me, I was blacking out.'
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'I was bleeding and looking around,' he said. He then forced himself to get up.
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