Possible fatalities after rockslide strikes multiple hikers on trail in Banff National Park
Multiple hikers are injured or dead after a rockslide at Bow Falls Trail in Banff National Park.
RCMP media relations officer Cpl. Gina Slaney confirmed Alberta Mounties were asked to assist in responding to the rockslide and are on location to support Parks Canada, STARS Air Ambulance, Lake Louise RCMP and other emergency responders.
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'The initial report indicated there were multiple hikers and there may be serious injuries and/or fatalities,' Slaney said in a written statement.
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Parks Canada's Lake Louise Yoho Kootenay Field Unit confirmed a serious rockfall incident occurred around 1 p.m. Thursday near Bow Glacier Falls, approximately 37 kilometres north of Lake Louise on the Icefields Parkway, also known as Highway 93N.
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'Parks Canada visitor safety teams from Banff and Jasper national parks are responding, with support from other agencies,' the unit stated, adding visitors are asked to avoid the area while crews respond.
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STARS spokesperson Kate Langille said two of its helicopters — one from Calgary and one from Edmonton — were dispatched and were still at the scene as of 4 p.m.
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'More information will be available once they're back at the base,' she said.
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Temporary highway closures are expected on the Icefields Parkway near Bow Lake to allow for responders to work.
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Up-to-date information on road closures will be published on Alberta 511.
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A number of elected officials, including Premier Danielle Smith and the federal minister responsible for Parks Canada, Steven Guilbeault, and Alberta's lieutenant governor have offered their thoughts and prayers upon hearing news of the rockslide.
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'We are thinking of all those involved and wishing for their safety as we await further details,' said Smith in her post. 'I also want to offer my most sincere gratitude to the emergency crews including search and rescue teams, and STARS Air Ambulance for responding quickly.'
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'Thank you to the Parks Canada visitor safety teams and first responders on the ground,' Guilbeault wrote. 'My prayers are with everyone affected.'
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I am deeply saddened to learn of the tragic event at Bow Glacier Falls, north of Banff, today.
We are thinking of all those involved and wishing for their safety as we await further details.
On behalf of Alberta's government, I also want to offer my most sincere gratitude to…
— Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) June 19, 2025
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