MONTREAL, June 16, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - A semi-trailer truck and a bus carrying
seniors collided in central Canada's Manitoba province on Thursday, killing
at least 15 people and injuring 10 more, authorities said.

Canadian police said on Twitter that officers were responding to a "mass
casualty collision" near the town of Carberry, west of Winnipeg, and that
first responders and other Royal Canadian Mounted Police units were on the
scene.

"What I can confirm right now is that a bus carrying approximately 25 people
collided with a semi at the intersection of Highway One and Highway Five,"
RCMP Manitoba officer Rob Hill told reporters, adding most of the people in
the minibus were elderly.

"Fifteen people have been confirmed deceased," while 10 others were
transported to hospital with various injuries, he said.

Hospitals in the region confirmed they were responding to large numbers of
victims and that all facilities were on alert.

The crash occurred on the Trans-Canada Highway north of Carberry.

Several tarps were laid on the ground, apparently covering some of the
victims, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which said
witnesses described a burned vehicle in a ditch near the highway.

According to Nirmesh Vadera, who works near the accident site in a roadside
hotel restaurant, numerous emergency vehicles and two helicopters were at the
scene of the crash, which occurred around midday.

"It was really, really surreal to see the extent of (the accident), because
I've never seen this kind of fire on any vehicle," Vadera told AFP by
telephone, adding there was lots of smoke visible around the site and dozens
of emergency responders were on the scene.

"The news from Carberry, Manitoba is incredibly tragic," Canadian Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau said on his official Twitter feed, adding he was
sending his "deepest condolences" to those who lost loved ones.

"I can't imagine the pain you're feeling, but Canadians are here for you," he
said.

"My heart breaks hearing the news of the tragic accident near Carberry. My
most sincere condolences go out to all those involved," tweeted Manitoba's
premier Heather Stefanson.

She said flags at the province's legislative building have been lowered to
half-staff "out of respect for those we have tragically lost."

Authorities said the highway was closed in both directions and they were
asking motorists to avoid the area.

"There were people all over the place, some looked like they were getting
medical attention," truck driver Josh Carson, who had driven past the
accident site, told Global News television.

"It for sure looked like a pretty bad one."

Thursday's crash echoes a 2018 tragedy in which 15 people were killed in an
accident in the neighboring western province of Saskatchewan when a truck
collided with a bus carrying young ice hockey players.