One international visitor is dead and dozens more are 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.
Michael Nguyen, a spokesperson for the Westlock Meditation Centre, said about 400 people had gathered at the centre for an 11-day monastic retreat, where participants live as monks and nuns from morning to night. The Edmonton Buddhist Research Institute organizes the annual gathering, started in 2002, he said.
The institute declined to comment when contacted by CBC News.
Nguyen said participants were all adults, of all genders. Savinkoff said visitors hailed from the U.S., Australia, Germany, Vietnam, Belgium and other countries.
He said most attendees were gathered in the large, white event tent for dinner before an orientation session when the storm blew in.
The Westlock area was under a severe thunderstorm watch Wednesday evening.
Organizers were working to get participants inside buildings to safety when the wind grew stronger, he said.
RCMP did not have information on the age or hometown of the person who died. Nguyen said the person who was killed was not from Canada.
On Thursday morning, tape cordoned off the area where the remains of the collapsed tent and some black support poles were visible on the centre’s grounds. Sheets of white plastic were strewn over some tables and chairs.
Nguyen said the centre is waiting to hear from lawyers about what to do with the tent.
He said organizers still intend to proceed with the retreat, which began formally today, but are still discussing whether the program will change in light of the incident.
‘A real tragic incident’
Savinkoff 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.
STARS air ambulance took a woman in her 70s from the collapsed tent to the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton on Wednesday night, spokesperson Natalie Hofstetter said in a statement. She did not have information on the woman’s condition.
At least 50 more people suffered minor injuries, with some treated on the scene, Savinkoff 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.”
Nguyen, of the meditation centre, said medical professionals and mental health workers from the organization will visit injured participants in hospital.
Response of emergency crews
Savinkoff described the initial scene as “organized chaos.”
At least 20 police officers responded from the nearby communities of Westlock, Morinville, Parkland County and Barrhead, he said.
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.
Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis posted about the incident on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday morning.
“My heart goes out to the friends and family of the loved one who was tragically lost last night and to those injured in the tent collapse in Westlock,” Ellis’ post said. “Alberta’s government expresses its deepest condolences to loved ones of the deceased and is here to support our first responders and the community during this difficult time.”
Provincial government Occupational Health and Safety investigators have been on the site since Wednesday evening, and are assessing the incident, a spokesperson said.
RCMP is investigating the incident.