Image Credit: Nirmesh Vadera / Submitted to Global News

By Sean Boynton and Sam Thompson / Global News

Fatal Crash

Manitoba crash is a ‘mass casualty incident’

Jun 15, 2023 | 1:54 PM

CARBERRY, Man. — RCMP and paramedics in Manitoba are responding to a “mass casualty collision” on Highway 1 west of Winnipeg that the province’s premier is calling “tragic.”

The exact number of deaths and/or injuries remains unclear. Manitoba RCMP are set to hold a news conference on the incident at 4:30 p.m. CT (5.30 p.m. Eastern).

The STARS Winnipeg and STARS Regina air ambulance services have been dispatched to the scene near the town of Carberry, and Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg is in a code orange, which means the hospital is expecting an external influx of patients due to a disaster situation.

Shared Health Manitoba said it was responding to a “mass casualty incident” along with Prairie Mountain Health and the Winnipeg Health Region. It would not share patient details in a statement Thursday afternoon.

“The Code Orange called earlier today triggered an all-system response to the incident,” a Shared Health spokesperson said.

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Brandon Fire & Emergency Services says the crash involved a semi truck and a Handi-Transit vehicle.

RCMP are also on scene and urging drivers to avoid the area. All available RCMP resources in the province have been deployed to respond to the crash.

Carberry is roughly 160 kilometres west of Winnipeg and about three kilometres south of Highway 1.

Premier Heather Stefanson offered her condolences to the victims in a brief statement on Twitter.

“My heart breaks hearing the news of the tragic accident near Carberry,” she said.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said in his own tweet that his heart was “broken” over the news and thanked first responders at the scene.

Family rooms have been set up at both HSC Winnipeg and BRHC, and family members are asked to call the HSC switchboard (204-787-3661 or 1-877-499-8774) or BRHC (204-578-4080) if they’re seeking more information.

Josh Carson, a truck driver from Stony Mountain who drove by the scene earlier on Thursday afternoon, told 680 CJOB the situation looked very serious.

“There was a semi, pretty smashed up, and a shorter passenger bus in the ditch on fire,” he said.

“There were people all over the place, some looked like they were getting medical attention… it for sure looked like a pretty bad one.”

Nirmesh Vadera, who works at a motel in the town, told Global News he was at work when the crash occurred.

“I ran outside, and I saw there was a huge fire and smoke,” he said.

The province says both east- and westbound lanes of Highway 1 at Highway 5 are now closed.