One person was killed and at least one other seriously injured when a Princess Tours bus crashed Friday morning, 37 miles south of Cantwell on the Parks Highway.
Three people were on board the commercial passenger bus at the time of the 8 a.m. rollover at Mile 173 of the Parks, according to Alaska State Troopers. The driver of the bus initially told authorities that two passengers were hurt, troopers said. Rescuers and troopers drove to the scene from Cantwell and pronounced one of the passengers dead.
All three people on the bus were Princess employees traveling between two Denali-area hotels, said Julie Benson, a spokeswoman for the Santa Clarita (California) company. The bus was northbound, making a roughly 105-mile trip along the edge of Denali National Park and Preserve from Mt. McKinley Wilderness Princess Lodge to Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge, Benson said.
"It is with great sadness that we confirm there was a fatality and that we have lost one of our colleagues in the accident. The other two occupants sustained injuries and are en route to the hospital," the company said in a statement to reporters.
Benson would not identify the employees or their job titles. "We are in the midst of identifying their families at this point," she said.
The bus is not blocking the highway, but the road may periodically be closed as authorities investigate. The cause of the rollover was not immediately clear Friday morning.
Mile 173 is about 189 highway miles south of Fairbanks.
Here is the full text of the Princess statement, provided by Benson:
"Earlier this morning a Princess motor coach was involved in a single vehicle accident on the Parks Highway. Two employees of the Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, in addition to the driver, were the only passengers onboard the motor coach. It is with great sadness that we confirm there was a fatality and that we have lost one of our colleagues in the accident. The other two occupants sustained injuries and are en route to the hospital. We have activated our CARE Team and will work with the families of our employees to ensure we do all possible to provide assistance during this very difficult time."
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.