OTTAWA, Ontario (CNN) — [Breaking news alert, 11:53 a.m. ET]
A double-decker bus and a passenger train collided in Ottawa Wednesday morning, killing six people, including the bus driver, authorities said. At least 30 other people were injured, and a third of them were in critical condition. All the fatalities and serious injuries occurred on the bus.
[Previously published story]
A double-decker bus and a passenger train collided in Ottawa Wednesday morning, killing five people, police said.
Fire officials in Ottawa also said at least a dozen people were injured, CTV’s News Channel reported.
“We had bodies and debris pretty much everywhere at the impact site,” Ottawa Fire Service’s Marc Messier told CTV.
“It’s definitely a serious scene,” he said. “Our top priority is getting anyone with serious injuries to the hospital and getting them into proper care.”
The crash happened at 8:48 a.m., the networks reported. CTV said a Via Rail train at Woodroffe Avenue and Fallowfield Road hit an Ottawa Carlton Transit city bus.
The train derailed “approximately 100 to 200 feet down the rail,” Messier said, and all of the casualties were on the bus.
CBC News quoted firefighters as saying the front end of the bus suffered significant damage. It said in a Twitter message that the Transportation Safety Board was headed to the crash site.
Heather Hogan, 26, of Kingston, Ontario, was waiting for the train when she heard “a thud” and “a loud metal on metal screech.”
“I called 911 and said there was a train derailment,” she said. “Everyone was just standing there in shock.”
“My thoughts are with the victims of this accident,” Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said. “Please pray for those affected and for our 1st responders dealing with this tragedy.”
