A survivor of the rockfall at Bow Glacier Falls in Banff National Park is speaking out about how his best friend saved his life but lost his own. Khaled El Gamal is one of the badly injured survivors of last week’s rockfall who is currently recovering in the hospital with a fractured pelvis, fractured scapula, and many bumps and bruises. El Gamal spoke to the media about what happened, saying his friend and roommate Hamza Benhilal helped snap him out of shock and got him running, but Benhilal didn’t make it out.
Benhilal, who was 33, is one of two casualties from the incident. Officials first identified Jutta Hinrichs, a 70-year-old recently retired professor. Then, they discovered Benhilal’s body. El Gamal spoke highly of his friend, saying he had a bright future ahead of him.
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Witnesses describe a loud sound, followed by large, tumbling rocks down the mountainside and a massive cloud of dust. When El Gamal initially saw the rocks hurtling toward him, he froze. He says it was Benhilal who screamed at him to run, so he did. In the process, he lost sight of his friend.
Watch the testimony from a Banff rockfall survivor about what happened and how his friend likely saved his life:
And here is a news report aired after rescue crews discovered the first rockfall victim, Hinrichs:
Finally, here is a witness’s video of the rockfall:
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