Fifteen dead after bus carrying many seniors collides with semitruck in Manitoba: ‘Our hearts are broken’

RCMP have confirmed that 15 people are dead after a bus carrying many seniors collided with a semitruck just before noon on the Trans-Canada Highway west of Winnipeg.

In what is one of Canada’s worst tragedies on the roads in recent years, officers told media Thursday evening that the bus had been headed south on Highway 5, near the town of Carberry. The bus crossed the westbound lanes of the main highway and was crossing the eastbound lanes when it was struck by the semi.

Another 10 people have been sent to hospital with “various” injuries.

Both drivers are being treated in hospital, Supt. Rob Lawson, the officer in charge of major crime services with the Manitoba RCMP, told media Thursday evening. The highway “did appear clear” at the time of the crash, and the question of who had the right of way is a “critical point” of the investigation, he said.

Many of the people on board were from Dauphin, Man., so officers are assuming that’s where the bus was from, he added.

“Our hearts are broken,” Manitoba Premier Heather Stefanson said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of all the lives impacted by the horrific and devastating tragedy.”

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.”

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.”

With files from The Canadian Press

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