URGENT: Passenger train collides with bus in Ottawa, at least five dead

OTTAWA. September 18. KAZINFORM - At least five people are reported to have been killed in a collision between a passenger train and a double-decker city bus in the Canadian city of Ottawa, Euronews reports.

Television images showed the front of the bus sheared off by the collision on the track at a level crossing. The train engine was derailed along with two of the carriages but all remained upright. Ottawa Fire Services spokesman Marc Messier said fewer than six passengers on the bus were killed and around half a dozen more have been taken to hospital, at least three with serious injuries. Two witnesses said the bus had driven through a lowered level crossing barrier as the train was approaching.

The Canadian Press reported witness Pascal Lolgis as saying: “He didn’t stop. He must have lost his brakes. Or he had an … attack or whatever. He just didn’t stop. He just keep going like that. Then he get hit.”
The crash occured just before 9.00 am local time.

VIA Rail, which operates the national passenger service in Canada, said there were no major injuries reported on the train. The crash occurred in the west end of Ottawa, Canada’s capital city.