More than 50 people have been admitted to various hospitals in western Canada after a bus accident on a highway on New Year's Eve in British Columbia, according to local authorities.

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The causes of the accident remain unknown at a time when this province has been affected for a week by warnings of winter storms which have brought a lot of snow, including in the area where the accident occurred, a 3-hour drive from east of Vancouver.

"Our thoughts are with those affected by the accident, their loved ones, as well as first responders and caregivers," British Columbia Premier David Eby said in a statement, saying he was "under the shocked and saddened" by the news.

The 53 victims were admitted to three different hospitals, the regional health authority, Interior Health, indicating on Twitter that it had mobilized staff in the intensive care sectors.

However, the authorities were unable to provide information on their state of health.

Canada faces a series of winter storms that affect the country from east to west.

In Ontario, extreme conditions derailed a freight train on Saturday, causing all trains between Toronto and Ottawa and Toronto and Montreal to be canceled for Christmas Day.

Before this incident, the fall of a tree on a locomotive and power outages had already caused significant delays in the night from Friday to Saturday. Several passengers between Ottawa and Toronto had to wait nearly 6 p.m., while some even left en route.