One person is dead and dozens more injured after a tent collapsed at a Buddhist meditation centre Wednesday evening in a small community northwest of Edmonton.
RCMP say a structure collapsed in severe weather around 5:30 p.m. MT at the Westlock Meditation Centre in Busby, Alta., about 70 kilometres northwest of Edmonton.
“A severe weather storm came in with some severe winds and at one point the tent structure collapsed on many occupants,” RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said.
Savinkoff said there were between 100 and 200 people in the tent at the time. He said at least nine ambulances took about 40 injured people to five or more hospitals in the area. All of those people are in stable condition, he said.
At least 50 more people suffered minor injuries, Savinkoff said. EMS treated some patients on the scene, he said.
One person was killed, he said. He did not have information on the age or hometown of the victim.
Savinkoff said visitors from the U.S., Australia, Germany, Vietnam, Belgium and other countries had gathered at the meditation centre for a an 11-day event.
“They were having a meal within the tent and a large weather event occurred, causing significant wind, ultimately resulting in the collapse of the tent,” he said. “It was initially clear that there were many injured people.”
He said nobody younger than age 12 was attending.
Savinkoff described the scene as “organized chaos.”
At least 20 police officers responded from the nearby communities of Westlock, Morinville, Parkland County and Barrhead, he said.
“This is a real tragic incident,” Savinkoff said. “We have one dead person. We’ve got some serious injuries. It’s going to be a long time before people recover both emotionally and physically.”
Area was under thunderstorm watch
Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis posted about the incident on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday night.
“We are aware of an event in the Westlock area where a tent has collapsed and has required multiple EMS and first responders,” Ellis wrote.
“There is limited information at this time but Alberta’s government is there to support our first responders during this difficult situation.”
The Westlock area was under a severe thunderstorm watch Wednesday evening.
Firefighters responded from Busby, Pickardville, Clyde and the Town of Westlock, said Westlock County Reeve Christine Wiese in a Thursday morning news release.
Wiese said the county shares in the sorrow and grief of the people affected by the tragedy.
“This incident has deeply impacted our community, and we stand together in mourning and support,” the statement said.
RCMP say Occupational Health and Safety have investigators on site. The RCMP is also investigating the incident.