School bus returning from field trip involved in crash in southern Manitoba

One woman has been airlifted to hospital after school bus in southern Manitoba collided with a car while returning from a field trip.

The crash happened near the intersection of Highway 59 and Highway 52 – about 11 kilometres north of St-Pierre-Jolys.

Paul Wiebe, the fire chief of the Hanover Fire Department, said around 2:16 p.m. emergency crews were called to the site of the crash which involved a small car and a school bus with several students on board.

"It was a serious crash," Wiebe said, adding the driver of the car was airlifted to hospital in Winnipeg with serious injuries. He did not have any update on her condition.

Emergency crews from the Hanover Fire Department and STARS respond to a crash involving school bus near the intersection of Highway 59 and Highway 52 on April 12, 2023. (Source: Lexi Olifirowich at SteinbachOnline.com)

A statement posted online by the Hanover School Division confirmed one of its school buses collided with another vehicle at the intersection while returning from a field trip. It said 18 students from Steinbach Regional Secondary School were on board at the time, along with a teacher and the bus driver.

"As a precaution, six students and the bus driver were transported to hospitals for further examination," the statement reads, adding the remaining students were taken back to school.

Wiebe said Manitoba RCMP were on scene investigating the crash. Shortly after 5:30 p.m., the province said the road had reopened.

CTV News has reached out to the RCMP for more details.