A school bus crash on Highway 97 north of Lac La Hache has closed the road in both directions at Butler Road.
Police say they were called to the area on Friday at approximately 1 p.m. PT.
Students on the bus were in grades 6 and 7 from 100 Mile Elementary and Horse Lake Elementary, on the way home from a field trip to Gavin Lake, according to Chris van der Mark, the superintendent of the Cariboo-Chilcotin School District.
Van der Mark was unable to say how many children were on the bus. However, he said that all staff and students had been accounted for and were being checked out by first responders on the scene. He could not confirm whether there were injuries.
He said the school district is working with police to ensure parents and guardians of the students on the bus are informed. Parents are being told to meet their kids at the South Cariboo Rec Centre in 100 Mile House, van der Mark said.
“Our biggest focus right now is just making sure that our staff and our students are okay,” he told CBC on Friday afternoon.
RCMP are asking people to avoid the area.
📡<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCHwy97?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#BCHwy97</a> Reports of a vehicle incident northbound blocking the highway at the north end of <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/LacLeHache?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#LacLeHache</a>. Crews en route. <a href=”https://t.co/eAiAITEsSU”>pic.twitter.com/eAiAITEsSU</a>
—@DriveBC