Three children and one adult were severely injured in a grizzly bear attack while on a field trip in the remote B.C. community of Bella Coola on Thursday afternoon.
Students and teachers from Acwsalcta School, run by the Nuxalk First Nation, were eating lunch when the bear emerged from the forest and attacked, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service.
Teachers jumped in to defend the students using bear spray and a bear banger.
Paramedics responded to the trail near Highway 20 around 1:45 p.m. and treated 11 people in total. While seven did not require hospitalization, four victims were driven to the Williams Lake Airport in an ambulance and then airlifted to hospital, according to B.C. Emergency Health Services.
Two patients were in critical condition and two in serious condition. As of Friday afternoon, all four victims remain in hospital. The families of the injured have asked for privacy regarding the details of their condition, a BCEHS spokesperson said.
The teachers are being praised for their bravery and heroism in their efforts to drive the bear away from their students, including by the elected chief of the First Nation and B.C.’s premier.
“This unprecedented grizzly bear attack occurred without provocation and has resulted in significant trauma to our community,” Nuxalk Nation Chief Samuel Schooner said in a statement Friday. “We are incredibly proud of our teachers and students who responded heroically in the moment to protect one another. The outcome could have been much worse.”
David Eby offered his condolences and sympathy at an unrelated news conference Friday morning.
“I want to thank the teachers for their heroism, there are early accounts of their willingness to confront this vicious animal,” he said. “And I want to send my heart out to the parents and the kids and loved ones of everyone who’s been injured, who’s in hospital right now, and I hope for their quick recovery.”
Veronica Schooner told The Canadian Press her 10-year-old son Alvarez was in the Year 4-5 class that was attacked while on a walk and was so close to the animal “he even felt its fur.”
“He was running for his life,” she said.
Schooner said a lot of people tried to halt the attack, but one male teacher “got the whole brunt of it” and was among the people taken to hospital by helicopter.
She added that Alvarez was “traumatized” by the attack on his friends, and three children were among those with major injuries, although BCEHS did not confirm the ages of any of the victims.
“He said that bear ran so close to him, but it was going after somebody else,” said Schooner.
She said that when she picked up Alvarez, he was “in shock,” his shoes muddy from his ordeal.
“Everybody was in shock at the school. A lot of people were crying, and I don’t know, I just wanted my son, and I grabbed him, and then I took him home.”
Armed conservation officers searched for the bear following the attack but as of Friday afternoon were unable to locate it.
“We recognize this incident is distressing for the community. We are in close contact with the Nuxalk Nation as our investigation continues. We thank them for their collaborative efforts to ensure community awareness and shared safety information,” said BCCOS Insp. Kevin Van Damme, in a statement Friday. “Our thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we wish them a full and speedy recovery.”
Conservation officers urged the community to avoid the forested area and river near 4 Mile and asked residents to remain indoors.
In a letter Friday, Nuxalk Acwsalcmalslayc Academy of Learning thanked students, staff, emergency responders and the community for their “strength and compassion” during the incident.
The NAALS board commended school staff for their “swift actions, calm leadership and unwavering dedication to protecting and supporting our students.”
“To our students: we are so proud of the way you supported one another, listened to instructions, and were together as a community. Today was frightening, and your resilience is truly admirable,” the letter reads.
With files from The Canadian Press