Ten youths and two adults were taken to hospital on Monday following an electrical incident at a waterpark in British Columbia's Fraser Valley.
Witness Account
Eleven-year-old Elias Sgouraditis was celebrating the end of Grade 5 with classmates when he noticed a commotion about 10 to 15 feet away. "I saw people on the ground getting CPR," he said. Within minutes, ambulances, police, and fire crews arrived, followed by two helicopter air ambulances. "I thought it must be pretty bad if there were helicopters," he added.
School Field Trip
Ken Hoff, assistant director of communications for the Coquitlam School District, stated that students from Minnekhada Middle School were being assessed for unspecified injuries. The incident occurred during a field trip for Grade 6 and 7 students.
Police and Investigation
Chilliwack RCMP confirmed 12 people were taken to hospital in stable condition with serious but non-life-threatening injuries at Cultus Lake Waterpark, east of Vancouver. RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Carmen Kiener said officers responded just after 11 a.m. and determined the incident was not caused by "deliberate action by a person." The investigation has been turned over to WorkSafe B.C., with police support. Many victims were transported out of an abundance of caution.
Waterpark Response
A waterpark statement on social media described a "serious incident" near a ride's queuing area, injuring several guests, including children. Elias noted that staff closed the nearest slide but most of the park continued operating. "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," he said. Neither Elias nor his friends were injured; victims appeared to be from a different school. After ambulances left, Elias and friends resumed playing, and the park remained open when they departed two hours later.
Parental Concerns
Elias's mother, Katy Sgouraditis, expressed concern: "Luckily nothing happened to Elias, but if it had done, I would be super angry and really wanting some answers right now." She received an email from the school alerting parents that no students from that school were hurt. "These are little kids that get sent to the waterslides for a really fun end of school celebration, and they get electrocuted, like what the heck," she said.
Emergency Services and Closure
BC Emergency Health Services received a call shortly after 11 a.m. and dispatched ambulances, advanced care paramedics, and other resources. Cultus Lake Waterpark announced it would close for several days to conduct a thorough independent investigation. "We are fully co-operating with the authorities . . . We are determined to ensure that something like this does not happen within our facility again."
Technical Safety and Utility Findings
Technical Safety B.C., responsible for electrical system safety compliance, is also investigating. "Safety officers have been dispatched to the site to conduct a thorough assessment," spokesperson Lindsay Byers wrote. BC Hydro's initial investigation identified an electrical issue on the customer's side, not from utility infrastructure. "The safety of the public is our top priority, and we're continuing to work co-operatively with the waterpark operator," the utility stated.
