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One teenager has died and several others are injured following a bus crash in Quebec’s Chaudière-Appalaches region, roughly 130 kilometres south of Quebec City, near the American border.
Provincial police are investigating icy road conditions as a potential contributing factor in the collision.
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) says first responders were called to the scene on Route de la Grande-Ligne Nord in Sainte-Rose-de-Watford, Que., at around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.
According to preliminary police reports, the school bus, which was carrying 18 passengers who were mainly teens, was heading south when it veered off the road and rolled over.
On Saturday afternoon, Cadets Canada confirmed on social media that the passengers were members of the Cadet Program.
“We are deeply saddened by reports of a road traffic accident this morning in Sainte-Rose-de-Watford, Quebec, involving a bus carrying members of the Cadet Program,” it wrote.
Police say one teenager has died and at least 15 people suffered minor injuries. Four others, including the driver, were transported to hospital with serious injuries but police do not fear for their lives.
Elyse Fortin Turgeon, a local, told The Canadian Press she witnessed the crash.
She said she was sitting at her kitchen table when she saw the bus roll down the hill, hitting a large post.
“I saw several kids being thrown out of the bus,” she said.
Fortin Turgeon said she then witnessed some of the youth trying to help those who were more seriously injured and she felt the need to intervene. She invited them to wait for first responders in her garage.
“The kids were so courageous despite the panic, the screams, and the cries,” she told The Canadian Press.
Local MNA Samuel Poulin says the entire community is shaken by the incident.
“Our community is tight-knit, much like the Chaudière-Appalaches cadets,” he wrote in a social media post. “Events like these touch us all in our hearts.”
Premier François Legault also shared his condolences in a post on social media.
“My heart goes out to the loved ones of the young victim who died today,” he wrote. “My thoughts are also with the young, injured cadets and the entire Sainte-Rose-de-Watford community.”
In a Facebook post, school bus carrier Autobus Auger confirmed the vehicle was one of theirs. It said the bus was travelling between Sainte-Marie and Lac-Etchemin when the crash happened.
“We are in shock and want to offer our most sincere condolences to the family of the victim,” the company’s president, Sylvain Auger, wrote. “The security of our passengers is primordial to our organization. Our team is collaborating completely with the authorities to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Police remained at the scene Saturday afternoon to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.