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CHILLIWACK — Mounties in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley say early indications show no criminality after 12 students were hospitalized Monday in what appears to have been an electrical accident at a water park.
Const. Brad Holditch with the Upper Fraser Valley detachment says Technical Safety BC has taken charge of the investigation at Cultus Lake Waterpark east of Vancouver, and nothing is being ruled out at this point.
Meanwhile, workplace safety agency WorkSafeBC says in an email that it has issued a stop-work order at the waterpark, and operations will not resume until it has been deemed safe to do so.
In a Facebook post, the Cultus Lake Waterpark describes the case as an “electrical incident” while adding they are fully co-operating with investigators.
Technical Safety BC has not released a statement in response to a request for comment on the case.
WorkSafeBC says the incident happened at roughly 11:20 a.m. Monday, where Chilliwack RCMP had said children from Minnekhada Middle School in the Coquitlam School District made contact with a railing in the queuing area beneath a ride.
The park describes the ride as the “Zero to 60” waterslide, and the railing was part of “a steel frame tent structure with handrails.”
“This structure is understood to be the object which victims came in contact with,” the park says.
The school district has said that the students in Grade 6 and 7 were on a field trip to the park at the time, and Holditch says the youth hospitalized were between 12 and 13 in age and are “doing well,” without releasing further details.
Two of the 12 students had to be airlifted to hospital after the incident.
“I would say it’s a serious event where a number of young people have to go to hospital,” he says. “Nothing was life-threatening, but (it was) still very scary for those involved and for the community at large.”
Neither the RCMP nor WorkSafeBC have released any additional details on the case.
Fraser Health has not provided an update on the students’ conditions, and Holditch declined to go into details due to privacy reasons beyond saying police have received reports they are doing well.
Holditch also declined to confirm the students were injured via electrocution.
“The park is closed right now as the investigation takes place,” he says. “As a parent myself, I can see the concern. Right now, there’s no risk to the public at large and the park remains closed.”
The waterpark says it will be closed up to and including next Monday, with updates to be provided “as they become available.”
“At this time, we are not confirming a reopening date,” the park management says. “Our immediate closure will continue to be extended and ongoing as needed to adequately complete all thorough reviews, and for us to address the findings and required actions.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 16, 2026.
The Canadian Press
