Double-decker bus and passenger train collide, injuring dozens

OTTAWA, ONTARIO (CNN) -- A passenger train sliced through a double-decker city bus in Ottawa Wednesday, resulting in "multiple fatalities," CNN affiliates CBC News and CTV News reported.

Fire officials in Ottawa also said at least a dozen people were injured, CTV reported.

"We had bodies and debris pretty much everywhere at the impact site," Ottawa Fire Service's Marc Messier told CTV's News Channel.

"It's definitely a serious scene," he said. "Our top priority is getting anyone with serious injuries to the hospital and getting them into proper care."

Courtesy CBC News



The crash happened at 8:48 a.m., the networks reported. CTV said a Via Rail train at Woodroffe Avenue and Fallowfield Road hit an Ottawa Carlton Transit city bus.

The train derailed "approximately 100 to 200 feet down the rail," Messier said, and all of the casualties were on the bus.

CBC News quoted firefighters as saying the front end of the bus suffered significant damage. It said in a Twitter message that the Transportation Safety Board was headed to the crash site.

"My thoughts are with the victims of this accident," Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson said. "Please pray for those affected and for our 1st responders dealing with this tragedy."

From CNN