Hamza Benhilal dies in fatal Banff, Alberta rockslide.
Fatal Banff rockslide death of Hamza Benhilal.
A 33-year-old man from Surrey, British Columbia, has been identified as the second person killed in a rockslide in Banff National Park.
A survivor of the fall near Bow Glacier Falls, north of Lake Louise, is remembering Hamza Benhilal, who didn’t make it out alive from under the rubble. Khaled Elgamal, Benhilal’s roommate and friend, confirmed he was visiting Banff with Benhilal when they heard the loud sound of rocks dislodging and started running. Elgamal says he was crushed by the stones and is recovering from injuries in a Calgary hospital. Three others were airlifted to hospital, and in total, 13 people were evacuated after the rockslide occurred on Thursday, June 19, 2025.
Parks Canada officials described the event as extremely rare for the mountain, though they confirmed a similar incident happened in the same general area of Banff National Park in 2023, resulting in minor injuries. The first confirmed victim, identified as Jutta Hinrichs, a 70-year-old Banff resident and retired employee of the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, was recovered on the day of the incident.
Elgamal recounted their experience, stating they were caught off guard by the loud noise and subsequent fall of rocks, and he sustained injuries requiring hospitalization. While the full size of the rockslide couldn’t be measured, officials emphasized its unusual scale.
