At least 10 people died and more were taken to hospital Thursday following a traffic accident west of Winnipeg, a government source in Manitoba said.
Authorities have not confirmed this toll, but the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was to hold a press conference later Thursday.
The RCMP had already described the accident as “very serious” and asked motorists to avoid the area where the Trans-Canada Highway intersects with Highway 5, near Carberry, Manitoba.
Photos provided to The Canadian Press by a witness at the scene of the crash show what looks like a large pickup truck blazing in a ditch along the road. A semi-trailer with a sunken engine is also on the road.
According to Nirmesh Vadera, who works nearby in a motorway hotel-restaurant and was contacted by telephone by AFP, many emergency vehicles are on site, as are two helicopters. A lot of smoke was visible around the scene of the accident, which occurred around noon (1 p.m. in Quebec).
Health authorities confirm that a massive rescue operation for the victims is underway, without giving details on the condition of the injured. STARS ambulance helicopters were dispatched to the scene from Winnipeg and Regina.
Spokesperson Blake Robert said in an email that a total of 14 STARS critical care teams were responding to the call, in addition to area paramedics and other first responders.
This whole team is made up of doctors, paramedics and nurses.
Carberry is 170 km west of Winnipeg.
With Agence France-Presse