Car shell suspended on rock face above British Columbia highway in apparent prank

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SQUAMISH, British Columbia (AP) — Authorities in British Columbia urged people to stay away from a rock face above a highway in the Canadian province where a red Volkswagen Beetle shell was suspended in an apparent prank by engineering students.

BC Parks was working to remove the Beetle and expects to do so within the week, the province's Environment Ministry said in a statement Monday. It said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and park rangers have been asked to investigate.

The car shell appeared on the rock face above Highway 99 in Squamish, British Columbia, last week with a large “E” on its roof, indicating University of British Columbia engineering students were carrying on a tradition of placing Beetle shells in difficult locations.

In 2009, a Beetle fell from the Iron Workers Memorial Bridge, and Vancouver police arrested five students in a failed attempt to suspend it from the span.

A spokesperson for the university did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Squamish Mayor Armand Hurford said the area around the Stawamus Chief rock formation is a “sacred place” with deep cultural meaning to the Squamish Nation.

He said the area is also popular among hikers and climbers and what “may have felt like an innocent prank” has affected the community.

“This is an area that deserves respect, and that wasn’t the case here,” Hurford said in the statement.