Canada: VIA Rail train collides with double decker bus

[jamesontheroad]

This morning's Via Rail train #51 from Ottawa to Toronto has collided with an OC Transpo double decker bus - it looks like an Alexander Dennis Enviro 500.

There have been multiple fatalities.

Sources:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/via-train-ottawa-bus-collision-causes-multiple-deaths-1.1858868

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/o...es+train+Transpo+collision/8927263/story.html

Six people are dead and more than 30 injured after a crash between a Via Rail train and a double-decker transit bus in Ottawa.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson called the crash the worst in the city's history.

The OC Transpo bus Route 76, heading for Ottawa, was travelling north on the Transitway when it collided with Train 51, which came from Montreal and was heading west to Toronto.

Firefighters said the crash happened at 8:48 a.m. ET near the intersection of Woodroffe Avenue and Fallowfield Road.

The front end of the bus suffered significant damage, firefighters added, killing five people at the scene, including the driver of the bus. One other person has died in hospital from injuries.

Edit - eyewitnesses speaking in this video report refer to the barriers being down and the driver failing to brake.

 

[CarltonA]

Heard this on the radio news. Tragedy, especially after the oil train incident recently.

 

[185]

https://maps.google.com/?ll=45.3028...3&panoid=ksqJly_W3M0M8az7qJalqQ&cbp=12,0,,0,0

It's got a boom but no skirt under it. Not easy to miss though. It's in the middle of nowhere.

 

[jon0844]

https://maps.google.com/?ll=45.3028...3&panoid=ksqJly_W3M0M8az7qJalqQ&cbp=12,0,,0,0

It's got a boom but no skirt under it. Not easy to miss though. It's in the middle of nowhere.

Wow, that could be a pretty fast road. Could a low sun make it hard to see the crossing barrier/lights perhaps?