A terrifying grizzly bear attack in the remote central coast community of Bella Coola, B.C. has left 11 students and staff injured, including two in critical condition and two others seriously hurt, after an elementary school class was ambushed during an afternoon walk on Thursday.
B.C. Emergency Health Services said the incident unfolded just before 2 p.m. on a trail near Highway 20, roughly 700 kilometres northwest of Vancouver. Paramedics treated seven people at the scene, while four of the most severely injured were airlifted to hospital with assistance from the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre due to poor weather conditions.
For parents, the horror was immediate and overwhelming. Veronica Schooner said her 10-year-old son Alvarez, a student in the Grade 4–5 class, was just metres away from the grizzly. “He was running for his life,” she said, adding that he felt the bear’s fur as it charged past. “Everybody was in shock at the school. A lot of people were crying.”
Schooner said teachers and bystanders desperately tried to stop the rampaging bear. One male teacher, she said, “got the whole brunt of it” and was among those flown to hospital with critical injuries. Three children are believed to be among the seriously hurt, though officials have not confirmed their ages.
According to Schooner, her son and several students were accidentally hit with bear spray during the frantic struggle to protect the children. Alvarez escaped with minor injuries after falling while running, but the emotional toll was immediate. “He keeps crying for his friends,” she said. “Right away he started praying for them because everything was so uncertain.”
The Nuxalk Nation issued an urgent community alert Thursday evening, warning residents that the “aggressive bear” remained at large. “Officers are armed. Remain indoors and off the highway,” the Nation said in a social media post. Some residents were reportedly stationing themselves at road entrances to monitor the area.
North District RCMP Cpl. Madonna Saunderson called the situation “very serious,” confirming that multiple agencies—including police, conservation officers and paramedics—were working together to secure the community and locate the bear.
The scale of the incident has left Bella Coola reeling. “We are all feeling devastation,” said Jayme Kennedy, chair of the Central Coast Regional District. “We are trying to understand the magnitude of the attack and navigate what has happened.”
Out of caution and respect for students and staff, Acwsalcta School, operated by the Nuxalk First Nation, announced it will remain closed Friday. “It’s hard to know what to say during this very difficult time,” the school wrote, expressing gratitude for its team and support from the wider community.
As families wait anxiously for updates, Schooner says her son’s concern remains focused on his classmates. Despite his own fear and shaken state, she said, “His first thoughts were for his friends.”