About 20 Injured in Bus Crash on Highway 39 South of Mackenzie, B.C.

About 20 people were injured when a shuttle bus crashed into a ditch on Highway 39 south of Mackenzie, British Columbia, on Wednesday morning. Police said the injuries ranged from minor to serious, and no deaths were reported in the reports available on Wednesday night.

Police received the collision report at 9:10 a.m. local time on Wednesday, November 4. Officers found a northbound white shuttle bus in a ditch on Highway 39, about four kilometres south of Mackenzie. It was a single vehicle collision. Mackenzie is about 180 kilometres north of Prince George.

Two hospitals declare a Code Orange

Mackenzie and District Hospital and the University Hospital of Northern BC in Prince George both declared a Code Orange, the designation typically used for a mass casualty event, the Northern Health Authority said. Northern Health asked Prince George area residents to avoid the emergency department at the Prince George hospital for all but life threatening emergency needs.

CBC live reporting, citing BC Emergency Health Services, identified three people in serious condition and four as serious but stable. That breakdown is partial only. It does not account for everyone who was hurt, and police kept the overall figure at about 20 people, including passengers and the driver.

Bus was chartered for a data centre contractor

The bus had been chartered by a contractor of IREN, a multinational data centre company. An IREN spokesperson said the crash happened south of Mackenzie, where the firm has a 4.5 hectare data centre site, and that IREN operates three data centres in British Columbia.

"We are in close contact with the contractor, emergency responders and the RCMP as they work to establish what happened," the IREN spokesperson said in a statement. The company said its immediate concern was for those on the bus and their families, and that it is supporting the response.

Highway closed, witnesses asked to come forward

Multiple ground ambulances and an air ambulance were deployed. Highway 39 was completely closed for several hours, and DriveBC said a detour was available through the Causeway and Mill Road. No reopening time was verified in the reports read on Wednesday night.

"We ask the public to avoid the area and allow emergency personnel the space they need to safely respond to this incident," said Cpl. Brett Urano, an RCMP spokesperson.

No arrests have been made. Police said the cause is still uncertain and nothing has been ruled out. "This was a chaotic scene, and police will need time to sort out many of the details," said Sgt. Michael McLaughlin of BC Highway Patrol.

BC Highway Patrol is asking anyone who saw the bus in the minutes before the crash, or who has dash camera footage, to call BC Highway Patrol Prince George at 250-649-4004 and quote file (3100) 2026-956.

A statement from Mackenzie Secondary School said the crash did not involve any of its students, but a school bus had been sent to the area to provide support.