Banff National Park rockfall victim identified as retired university educator
LAKE LOUISE — One of the two people killed in a rockfall in Banff National Park was identified Friday as 70-year-old Jutta Hinrichs of Calgary.
The University of Alberta, in a statement, said Hinrichs was an educator in the department of occupational therapy in the Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine.
She retired last summer.
'She was integral to developing a southern Alberta satellite for the department,' said the statement from the Edmonton-based university.
'Jutta nurtured many students, preceptors and clinicians to flourish and grow. That her work continues to enrich the tapestry of occupational therapy in Alberta is her legacy."
Hinrichs was found deceased shortly after a slab of mountain suddenly gave way Thursday afternoon, collapsing on hikers at a popular trail near Bow Glacier Falls, which is north of Lake Louise and 200 kilometres northwest of Calgary.
Teams have been using aircraft with infrared sensors to search the debris field and a geotechnical engineer was brought in to check the stability of the mountainside.
Early Friday, crews recovered one more body, but no further details have been released.
Three people went to hospital Thursday -- two of them by air ambulance -- and are listed in stable condition.
Officials have said no one else is reported missing and there are no unidentified vehicles at the trailhead.
The slide happened at the Bow Glacier Falls hiking trail. It's a nine-kilometre route running along the edges of Bow Lake and is considered a moderate challenge for hikers and is used by tourists and day-trippers, including families. It's a region with limited cellular service.
Niclas Brundell lives in nearby Canmore and works as a trail guide. He told The Canadian Press in an interview he was hiking in the area with his wife shortly after noon when they both started seeing concerning signs of rocks tumbling and boulders the size of tires starting to fall.
"This was unimaginable to me, that such a big piece of mountain would fall off," he said. As rocks started rolling at the top of the waterfall, he said, they didn't hit anyone, but he and his wife wondered why nobody seemed to be reacting.
"Then all of a sudden, I hear the start of another rockfall, and I turned around, and the whole mountainside is coming off."
He estimated the slab to be 50 metres wide and 20 metres deep, and he and his wife started sprinting to safety. When he turned around, he could see a group of between 15 and 30 people at the waterfall disappear under a cloud of dust.
"The only place I've ever seen something similar is like watching videos from 9-11, when you see New York being cast over,' he said.
Brundell said when they got far enough to feel safe, he sent a satellite message to Parks Canada, while his wife ran to a nearby lodge to call for help.
He said it's a popular trail because it's considered relatively easy, and on any given summer day there are 15 people or more hiking the trail.
Evidence of the rockfall was visible from across the lake. The side of the mountain near the waterfall was darkened and worn, except for a large patch that was significantly lighter, where a heap of debris lay below.
The Bow Lake area was closed during the search but has since reopened. Bow Glacier Falls remains closed, and drivers were told there could be possible delays on the nearby Icefields Parkway.
'Banff National Park remains open and safe to visit,' said the joint statement.
-- with files from Fakiha Baig in Edmonton
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.
Matthew Scace, The Canadian Press
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