4 students taken to hospital after school bus crashes into ditch in Edmonton

The Edmonton Catholic School Division said four elementary school students were taken to hospital for precautionary reasons after the bus they were riding on crashed into the ditch on Yellowhead Trail, northeast of downtown Edmonton.

In a written statement provided to Global News, school district officials said there were 49 students and seven adults on the bus when the crash happened. However, the statement said “all students and staff are safe.”

The statement said the bus, which was carrying students from St. Matthew Catholic Elementary School, was returning from a school field trip when it experienced a tire blowout before hitting the ditch.

A spokesperson for the company that operates the bus, Cunningham Transport, told Global News that despite being “shaken up,” everyone has been “checked over by EMS” and appears to be “doing okay.”

A large contingent of emergency crews were called out to the crash, including police, paramedics and fire crews.

The school division said a replacement bus was brought in to transport the students back to the school.

What appeared to be several worried parents or guardians could also be seen arriving at the scene of the crash to collect and console their children.