Twelve youths in stable condition after Cultus Lake Waterpark electrical incident in B.C.

Jesse Winter Published YesterdayUpdated 32 minutes ago Save for laterPlease log in to bookmark this story. Log InCreate Free Account Twelve youths are in stable condition after being injured in an electrical incident Monday at a water park in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley. The Grade 6 and 7 students from Minnekhada Middle School in Port Coquitlam were on a field trip to Cultus Lake Waterpark when the incident occurred, said Ken Hoff, spokesman for the Coquitlam School District, correcting earlier reports that 10 students had been injured. All 12 students were transported to hospital and treated for unspecified injuries, Mr. BC Hydro said an initial investigation had identified an electrical issue originating on the customer’s side, rather than from the utility’s infrastructure. “The safety of the public is our top priority, and we’re continuing to work co-operatively with the water park operator and will support the ongoing investigation in any way we can,” the provincial utility said in a statement. Elias Sgouraditis, 11, who goes to a different school, was celebrating finishing Grade 5 with his fellow classmates when he heard a commotion about 10 or 15 feet away. “I saw people on the ground getting CPR,” he said. Ambulances, police and the fire department arrived within minutes, followed . “I thought it must be pretty bad if there were helicopters,” Elias said. Twelve people, including 10 students, taken to hospital after electrical incident at B. C. waterpark Corporal Carmen Kiener, a spokesperson for the RCMP’s Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment, said officers responded to a report of multiple injuries at the water park, located east of Vancouver, at about a. m. Investigators do not believe the incident was the result of deliberate human action. Mounties described the injuries as serious but non-life-threatening. The investigation has now been turned over to WorkSafeBC, with support from police, Corporal Kiener said. Elias said water park staff closed the slide closest to where the incident happened, but most of the park initially kept operating as usual. “There were two slides that were really close to it and they didn’t want us seeing the people get taken away in stretchers, so we weren’t allowed to go on those,” Elias said. Neither Elias nor any of his friends were injured. Once all the ambulances left, he and his friends went back to playing on the other waterslides. When they left about two hours later, the park was still open and operating, he said.