One person is reportedly fighting for their life and about 20 others are injured after a school bus carrying children swerved off the road in Sainte-Rose-de-Watford, a small municipality with a population of 737 in Chaudière-Appalaches region.
According to Sûreté du Québec (SQ) spokesperson Frédéric Deshaies, emergency services were called to the scene of the accident on Route de la Grande-Ligne Nord at around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. The children on board the bus were “locals,” Deshaies said.
The initial report indicates that four people suffered serious injuries, but their lives are not in danger, and about 15 people suffered minor injuries.
The victim whose life is in danger is not the bus driver, Deshaies told La Presse Canadienne. The bus, which was traveling south, reportedly skidded to the left before overturning. According to the SQ, “difficult road conditions” may have contributed to the accident.
Police officers are still at the scene and a reconstructionist is on site to determine the causes and circumstances surrounding this event.
The municipality of Sainte-Rose-de-Watford is located near the Canada-U.S. border, 35 kilometres from Saint-Georges.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
