Over 60 hikers airlifted after sudden flooding in B.C.’s Bugaboo Provincial Park

More than 60 people were airlifted to safety after flooding stranded hikers and campers in Bugaboo Provincial Park, located in B.C.’s East Kootenay region.

Rescuers with Columbia Valley Search and Rescue were called to the park on Sunday morning after creek levels surged near the Conrad Kain Hut. Rising water and debris made it too dangerous for visitors — ranging in age from 10 to 70 — to hike out.

The team quickly established a staging area and used helicopters to move people to the trailhead, completing the operation in 10 trips over roughly seven hours. “It’s quite fortunate that the road out … was not compromised by this higher water,” said rescuer Jordy Shepherd. “That would have been another problem.”

The flooding was caused by a tarn — a mountain lake — that carved a new channel through glacier ice, diverting water in an unexpected direction.

Shepherd praised the all-volunteer team for carrying out the mission and preventing campers from facing an overnight stay or dangerous crossings.

Bugaboo Provincial Park, known for its dramatic spires and alpine terrain, has closed much of its core area while B.C. Parks assesses the damage.