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Ebus to resume service in B.C. today in wake of deadly holiday crash

Seven people are still patients, down from eight on Sunday.
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All of the remaining patients in hospital are expected to survive, Interior Health said Monday.

Ebus will resume service in B.C. today following Saturday night's deadly bus crash on the Okanagan Connector.

The company temporarily suspended its operations across the province Sunday and Monday.

"Due to deteriorating weather conditions, we will be temporarily pausing our routes in B.C. ... We will resume service tomorrow, Dec 27," Ebus said in a brief statement Monday.

Fog, flooding and freezing rain warnings, along with high avalanche danger prompted numerous travel advisories on B.C.'s mountain highways on Monday.

The Christmas Eve bus crash on Highway 97C left four people dead and sent more than 50 passengers to hospital, casting a shiver over the holidays.

Police believe icy conditions were a factor in the incident, which remains under investigation.

Ebus president Tom Jezersek said the company will continue co-operating with RCMP and extended condolences in a statement "to families and loved ones so heavily impacted by this tragic event."

All of the remaining patients in hospital are expected to survive, Interior Health said Monday.

Seven people are still patients, down from eight on Sunday.

Two patients had been listed in serious condition on Sunday, but their conditions have since improved.

The crash happened east of Merritt near the Loon Lake exit.

Police have said road conditions were described "as very poor with ice and snow on the road surface along with rain and hail falling."

Investigators have asked anyone who witnessed the collision or who has dashcam video of the bus before the crash to contact their local RCMP detachment.

It was the second crash on the same stretch of highway involving an Ebus in four days.

An Ebus crashed into a semi on Tuesday last week. No serious injuries were reported as a result of that incident.

– with files from The Canadian Press