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Several youths were taken to hospital Tuesday morning after a school bus rolled over near Swan River, Manitoba.
Swan River RCMP said in a release the bus was travelling south on Highway 10, about 13 kilometres south of Mafeking, when it attempted to pass another bus. The driver lost control, went off the highway and rolled before coming to rest upright.
RCMP said road conditions appeared to be slippery at the time of the incident.
14 students, aged 16 to 18, along with the bus driver, were transported to hospital in Swan River.
Patients airlifted to Winnipeg
Shared Health and Prairie Mountain Health said four patients were airlifted to Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg in stable condition for further care, three to the Children’s Hospital and one to adult emergency.
Health Sciences Centre initiated a Code Orange as a precaution to prepare for a potential influx of patients, which was later cancelled. Swan Valley Health also initiated a Code Orange and remained in it late into the afternoon, said Shared Health in a statement.
Bus transporting Sapotaweyak students
Swan Valley School Division superintendent Rob Tomlinson said the bus was transporting students from Sapotaweyak Cree Nation to Swan Valley Regional Secondary School when the rollover occurred.
He said the division immediately deployed three counsellors and the division’s Knowledge Keeper to the hospital to provide emotional support to students and families.
“We also extend our gratitude to the Elbert Chartrand Friendship Centre for offering a warm space with coffee and lunch for families needing a place to gather,” said Tomlinson in a statement. “We sincerely thank the first responders for their swift action and compassion during this difficult time.”
The division said it is committed to supporting students and families as they work together to process and recover from this traumatic event.
A Manitoba RCMP forensic reconstructionist was deployed to the scene. The investigation is ongoing.
