Agencies from across Utah responded to fatal bus crash outside Bryce Canyon National Park
The bus crash that killed four people on a highway outside Bryce Canyon National Park and sent more than a dozen others to southern Utah hospitals with injuries happened in one of the state's most remote areas.
Among the first emergency crews to arrive were from Garfield County, population 5,000, where more than 90 percent of the land is federally-owned open space and the nearest metropolitan area is more than 100 miles away.
Help arrived in the form of similarly rural neighbors like Kane County and Paiute County and from rangers from inside the national park, and the Utah Highway Patrol.
The response was heartening to see, but also illustrated how much rural areas like Garfield County rely on help from volunteers and from neighbors, Sheriff James Perkins said.
“It was devastating what went on out there, but I’m so proud of our volunteers ... it was amazing," Perkins said, visibly emotional as he recalled the response.
Calls for help
The tour bus was carrying 30 passengers, all of whom were Chinese nationals, and calls went out shortly after the crash for translators who could help emergency crews with communication.
Offers to help came from "all over the world," according to a Facebook post from the Kane County Sheriff's Office. The post said calls came in with offers of help ranging from "get on a plane right now" to "we're in the car headed your way."
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Officials with Southern Utah University, a college in Cedar City about 90 minutes from the crash scene, asked international students from China to help as translators.
More visitors than residents
Major emergencies in Garfield County often involve Bryce Canyon and other nearby attractions, as tourists tend to far outnumber the local populations.
Bryce Canyon saw 2.7 million visitors in 2018 — the entire population of Utah is about 3.2 million.
The park is located about 130 miles in driving distance from St. George and about 270 miles in driving distance from Salt Lake City.
Tour buses are common in the area, with tours often starting in Las Vegas or other cities and taking long trips to visit Bryce along with places like Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon.
The bus that crashed is a registered to a company called America Shengjai, in Ontario, California.