(Quebec) The Sûreté du Québec has confirmed the death of two people in the major collision involving a bus and a car, which left at least 20 injured Tuesday evening on Route 132, near Saint-Fabien in the Bas- Saint Laurent.
For some unexplained reason, the bus, which was traveling westbound, and a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction, collided around 5:15 p.m. The two vehicles ended up in the ditch.
The occupant of the vehicle suffered serious injuries and his death was reported in the middle of the evening, said Sergeant Claude Doiron, spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec.
The bus was carrying about 40 passengers, half of whom suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious. One of the passengers also lost his life, according to agent Doiron. No details that could identify the victims have been released at this time to give authorities time to contact next of kin.
The bus involved belongs to Orléans Express. “Our first thoughts are with everyone involved in the accident. For the moment, the cause of the accident remains to be clarified and to be confirmed by the authorities, wrote the company’s spokesperson, Émilie Charest. Orléans Express is working with them to shed light on the exact circumstances. »
Due to the ongoing investigation, the company will not comment further.
All travelers in hospital
At the end of the evening, the CISSS indicated that 15 injured were taken to the emergency room of the Rimouski hospital by ambulance. The other passengers, who had first been directed to the Saint-Fabien arena, were finally repatriated to the Rimouski hospital too. “It’s not every day that this happens, so many people are injured at once,” said Gilles Turmel, spokesperson for the CISSS du Bas-Saint-Laurent. It’s going full throttle and everyone is dedicated. Everything went well, it must also be underlined. »
A little earlier, Mr. Turmel had confirmed to The Press that the CISSS had “triggered a Code Orange, which means the massive arrival of injured people. »
Staff were urgently recalled and medical specialists were mobilized to be ready to receive the flood of patients.
Psychosocial support services have also been deployed for the injured and medical personnel, Turmel said. “And it will continue tomorrow. »
Route 132 has been closed in both directions. A bypass in the municipality of Saint-Fabien has been set up for vehicles only.