OTTAWA, June 15 (Reuters) – At least 15 people were killed in the Canadian Prairies province of Manitoba on Thursday after a semi-trailer truck collided with a small bus carrying a group of mostly elderly people, the agency said. police.
The accident is one of the deadliest traffic accidents in recent Canadian history.
The accident occurred at the junction of two major highways near the southwestern Manitoba town of Carberry, 105 miles (170 km) west of Winnipeg. The passengers on the bus were headed to a casino in Carberry, CBC News reported, citing a casino spokesperson.
“We have been able to establish that at least 15 people have been confirmed dead as a result of this collision,” said Deputy Commissioner Rob Hill, who commands the Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Hill said in a televised news conference that “sadly, this is a day in Manitoba and across Canada that will be remembered as one of incredible tragedy and sadness.”
The bus was carrying about 25 people, most of them elderly, he said.
Another ten people were being treated at the hospital. Police said the drivers of both vehicles were alive and declined to say who might have been responsible for the crash.
(1/2) SENSITIVE MATERIAL. THIS IMAGE MAY OFFEND OR ANNOY Police secure the area at the scene of an accident near Carberry, Manitoba, Canada, June 15, 2023 in this still image obtained from social media video. PortageOnline/Mike Blume/via REUTERS
Media reports initially identified the vehicle as a van rather than a bus. They said it was operated by Handi-Transit, which transports the elderly and people with disabilities.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation showed a still photo of a white vehicle the size of a minivan that had burned down. It also showed a photo of a blue truck with the front smashed in.
Crumpled wheelchairs and walkers remained near tarps covering the bodies at the site, the Winnipeg Free Press said.
In a tweet, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he sent his “deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones today, and I keep those injured in my thoughts. I cannot imagine the pain felt by those affected,” he said.
“My heart breaks to hear the news of the tragic accident near Carberry,” Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said on Twitter.
In neighboring Saskatchewan, 16 people were killed in April 2018 after a truck collided with a bus carrying a youth hockey team on a rural road. The trucker was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2019.
The worst traffic accident in Canadian history occurred in 1997 when a bus carrying elderly people crashed into a ravine in the province of Quebec, killing 44 people.
Reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa Additional reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa and Nia Williams in British Columbia; Edited by Sandra Maler, Matthew Lewis, and Grant McCool
Our standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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