The City of Dauphin and the Parkland region is reeling this morning one day after a crash resulted in the deaths of fifteen seniors.

At around 11:43 a.m., emergency services were called after a semi-truck heading east on the Trans-Canada Highway collided with a Handi-Transit vehicle heading south on Highway 5 near Carberry. The vehicle had 25 people onboard, many of whom were seniors, and it has been confirmed that 15 people have died. The remaining 10, including the driver, were taken to various hospitals in Winnipeg and Brandon. STARS Air Ambulance sent two helicopters to the scene, one from Winnipeg and one from Regina, along with an aircraft with eight more medical personnel. In total, STARS sent 14 people to the scene.

Shortly after receiving word of the crash, RCMP responded, calling this a 'mass-casualty event'. Superintendent Rob Lawson, Officer in charge of Major Crime Services, spoke during a news conference yesterday evening, sharing as much information as he could.

"This incident does have echoes of the tragic collision that happened in Humboldt, SK, and we are very much aware of that. We have already linked into the investigators in Saskatchewan who have first-hand experience and were some of the primary investigators in the investigation into the Humboldt crash who are assisting us right now in any way we they can," says Lawson. "Even at the outset of an investigation such of this, we need to be alive to the fact that there could be wrong-doing, and if so, there could be a criminal element to this investigation."

Lawson noted this investigation will take time.

In Manitoba, from my career, prior to that, I don't believe we've had a mass-casualty traffic accident like this in Manitoba," says Lawson. "So, this is new for us and our investigators, and it's very emotionally draining for them, as well. As I mentioned, this is a very complex, large investigation with lots of things we have to unfold and unpack."

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