The communities of MacGregor and Austin, Man. are grieving following a highway crash that claimed the lives of two teenage boys on Saturday.

RCMP said a pickup truck belonging to the Manitoba Office of the Fire Commissioner rear-ended a car on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of MacGregor, around 4 p.m. Oct. 5.

Mourners made their way to a roadside memorial Monday.

"They were two young kids who lost their lives in a tragic accident that could have been prevented," said Jim Boschman.

One of the teens killed was 14 and the other 17.

RCMP said two other young adults in the same vehicle went to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Deidrich Klassen lives in Austin, Man., next door to the family of the 17-year-old boy killed.

"That's a very sad deal. I don't really find any words to explain that," said Klassen.

He said he has stopped in to offer his condolences to his neighbours. He didn't know the family of the 14-year-old, who was from the nearby community of Sydney, but he has been to visit them as well.

"It's a matter of everybody's going to really, really have to get together,” he said.

Both boys who lost their lives were students at MacGregor Collegiate.

Staff at the school said they have asked students not to talk to media as they work through the grieving process. The flag at the school flies at half-mast to honour the boys who died.

"We have additional staff in place in our high school and in our other schools to ensure that any students that are having some difficulty coming to terms with this have the supports that they need,” said School Superintendent Brian Gouriluk.

He said he has spoken with the families and they have requested privacy.

"The school division extends its deepest condolences to the families of the boys who were lost in this accident,” said Gouriluk.

A statement from the Office of the Manitoba Fire Commissioner said the driver of the vehicle was on duty at the time of the crash and was not responding to an emergency.

Portage RCMP said alcohol was not a factor in the crash but they are investigating and charges could be laid.