Vanderhoof,  B.C.- Members of a rugby team bound for Williams Lake are in hospital in Vanderhoof,  following the crash of their bus  this morning.

The bus  was  in a collision  with a small vehicle this morning around  8:30   on  Highway 16 near McNolty Road  near Engen.  The bus   went over an embankment and into the ditch.

School District 91  Assistant Superintendent Manu Madhok “The  bus belonged to School district 54, Bulkley Valley   the kids were headed to a  rugby tournament in Williams Lake, so they stopped in Burns Lake to pick up   one of our teams.  So we had two rugby teams on the bus,  three adults,  the bus driver, a coach  from Lakes  District Secondary and a coach from Smithers.”

Madhok says the  players are fine, except for some bumps and bruises.  “They are all being brought up to  hospital in Vanderhoof to be looked at.”  He says the Hospital is doing a very good job of screening them with the Doctor “But  I think for the kids and the bus driver  and coaches,   it’s been very traumatic.”

Madhok says the two teams will not be continuing  their  journey to the  tournament “I think their parents are pretty anxious, so we are  working on  getting the kids back to   their home communities.”