Police are trying to identify the body of a man who was hit by a car and then dragged for six kilometres under a bus along two B.C. highways on Friday night.
The horrified bus driver discovered that his vehicle had snared the man when he pulled into a bus stop to check his brakes, said Cpl Bryan Fedirchuk of Deas Island RCMP.
"Until that moment, nobody on the bus knew a thing," said Fedirchuk.
The man, who police described as South Asian and in his late 30s, was wearing dark clothes as he wandered across Highway 17 near Ladner Trunk Road.
He was hit by a car just before 11 p.m., police said.
The driver of the car pulled over and called the police. But when he returned to the site he didn't find a body -- only a shirt and a jacket.
Fedirchuk said that in between the impact and the call, the Coast Mountain bus drove by.
"The operator inadvertently, without knowing, managed to pick up the pedestrian in the undercarriage," he said.
The bus traveled along Highway 17, through the Massey Tunnel, and then along Highway 99 for about six kilometres.
When the driver noticed something wrong with his brakes, he pulled over to check the problem. That's when he saw the human remains underneath, and called police as well.
Neither the passengers nor the driver knew anything about what was under the bus, said Fedirchuk.
It's not clear if the man died on the first impact, or while he was being dragged, he said.
"When he died is undetermined at this time," said Fedirchuk
Police say identifying the man is difficult, as he didn't have a wallet. Fingerprinting so far hasn't revealed any information.
He was wearing a hooded jacket with grey and black checkers made by Grenade, with a black and grey inner lining. He was also wearing black loafers.
Police are asking that if anyone knows who the man is they should call Deas Island RCMP at 604-946-2184.
Both Highway 17 and the Massey Tunnel were shut down for several hours while police investigated. The roads have since re-opened.
