RCMP say 15 people are dead and 10 are in hospital after a bus carrying people from Dauphin, Man., many of them seniors, collided with a semi truck.
At 11:40am today, #rcmpmb responded to a mass casualty collision between a semi-trailer & bus. At this time, there are 15 fatalities & 10 people taken to hospital with various injuries. Major Crime Services is investigating & on scene.
— RCMP Manitoba (@rcmpmb) June 15, 2023
Assistant Commissioner Rob Hill, the commanding officer of Manitoba's RCMP, said Thursday the crash happened at the intersection of highways 1 and 5 near Carberry, about two hours south of Dauphin.
"Sadly, this is a day in Manitoba and across Canada that will be remembered as one of tragedy and incredible sadness," he told a news conference.
He said every available resource has been sent to the scene.
A family support centre has been set up in the basement of the Lutheran Church in Dauphin for relatives.
The semi-trailer was heading EB on #MBHwy1 & the bus, carrying senior citizens from Dauphin, was headed SB on #MBHwy5. The bus had already crossed the WB lanes of Hwy 1 & was crossing the EB lanes when it was struck by the semi. #rcmpmb
— RCMP Manitoba (@rcmpmb) June 15, 2023
Police said the drivers of the truck and the bus survived.
Hill said his thoughts go out to families anxiously waiting for news of their loved ones.
"To all those waiting, I can't imagine how difficult it is not knowing if the person you love the most will be making it home tonight."
Kim Armstrong, the administrator of the Dauphin senior centre, said the bus left from there Thursday morning.
She said the senior community is extremely tight knit in the city of around 8,600 people and the centre is sometimes like a second home.
“It’s huge to lose so many individuals of our community and of course it is shocking. We just pray for those that are surviving,” she said.
Armstrong said seniors and community members often go on trips on buses to nearby events or casinos. The tragic crash still feels unimaginable, she said.
“It’s hard to put it into words,” she said.
A damaged semi truck could be seen on the side of the road and the burnt-out bus in a ditch along Highway 1, which is the Trans-Canada.
The pavement was littered with debris — broken glass, a large bumper and what looked like a walker. Seven blue and yellow tarps were stretched out.
Photos supplied to The Canadian Press by a witness from the scene earlier Thursday showed the bus smouldering in a ditch alongside the road.
Nirmesh Vadera, who was working at a business on the side of the highway when the crash happened, said he went outside and saw a transport truck with a smashed engine on the highway.
The bus was on fire in the grass on the side of the road. First responders were trying to get people out of the burning vehicle, he said.
“It was burning and all the (firefighters) and medical help and everybody was trying to get them away from the fire. They are just trying to give treatment and everything,” he said.
