At least 15 people died in a serious traffic accident in the central Canadian province of Manitoba on Thursday. A bus with around 25 passengers collided with an articulated lorry at a motorway junction, police spokesman Rob Hill told journalists. Most of the people on the bus were older people.

The accident happened on the Trans-Canada Highway north of Carberry, "at an intersection of Highway One and Highway Five," the police spokesman said. Ten people were taken to hospitals with various injuries.

The Canadian broadcaster CBC, citing eyewitnesses, reported that a burned vehicle was lying in a ditch next to the highway. Nirmesh Vadera, an employee at a nearby hotel restaurant, told AFP over the phone that there was a lot of smoke around the scene of the accident. Dozens of rescue workers were deployed.

"The news from Carberry, Manitoba is incredibly tragic," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted. He expressed his "deepest condolences" to the families of the victims. "I can't imagine the pain you're feeling, but the Canadians are there for you," he said.

The head of government of the province of Manitoba, Heather Stefanson, wrote on Twitter about a tragedy that "tears her heart" and announced mourning flags at the provincial parliament. According to official information, the affected section of highway in the west of the city of Winnipeg was closed in both directions and drivers were asked to avoid the accident area.

In a similarly serious accident in Canada in 2018, 15 people also died in the western province of Saskatchewan. At that time, a truck collided with a bus in which young ice hockey players were traveling.