'Like my big brother': Survivor of Banff rockfall says friend who died saved him
CBC
A survivor of a rockfall last week in Banff National Park is remembering his 33-year-old roommate, who didn't make it out alive from under the rubble, as a kind and generous friend.
Khaled Elgamal, 28, says Hamza Benhilal, of Surrey, B.C., was one of two people who died after a slab of mountain gave way last Thursday, raining rock down on hikers at Bow Glacier Falls, about 200 kilometres northwest of Calgary.
"He was my friend but also like my big brother," Elgamal said Monday in an interview with The Canadian Press from a hospital bed in Calgary. He is recovering from a fractured pelvis and shoulder, cuts and scrapes.
"I'm still shocked," said Elgamal. "I'm still getting flashbacks of the scene."
He said he met Benhilal in 2022 when they were enrolled in the same online master of business administration program at University Canada West.
Elgamal was living in Egypt, and Benhilal was in Morocco. They both moved to B.C. in 2022 and became housemates.
Elgamal, now a financial adviser, and Benhilal, an engineer, had just arrived in Banff for a vacation, and a hotel worker recommended they visit Bow Glacier Falls, as the site's parking lot is usually less crowded.
"We didn't even have it on our bucket list for that day. We were planning to go to Lake Louise," Elgamal said.
He said a third friend on the trip decided to stay behind at the hotel, and he and Benhilal drove to the falls.
"We took a bunch of pictures at the lake first and then started the hike to the waterfall."
Shortly afterward, while still on the mountain, Elgamal said they heard a loud sound.
"It sounded like a thunderstorm."
When he turned around, Elgamal said he saw a large boulder fall from the mountain and shatter into pieces when it hit the ground.
Benhilal was in front of him and screamed at Elgamal to run.
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