Three people were killed and a fourth was seriously injured after a van was hit by a train near Strathclair, Man. Tuesday morning, police say.
Manitoba RCMP said officers were called to the crash at a CP Rail crossing roughly a kilometre east of the community, near Highway 16, around 11:30 a.m.
The driver of the van, a 27-year-old Dauphin man, remains in hospital, police said, while the three passengers — a 45-year-old man from Sandy Bay First Nation, a 25-year-old man from Waywayseecappo First Nation, and a 19-year-old man from Dauphin — died on scene.
“We have a horrific scene… the investigation’s going to have to try to determine if it was a visibility issue,” RCMP Sgt. Paul Manaigre told 680 CJOB.
“This train only consisted of two locomotives, so it wasn’t a train that was half a kilometer long, which maybe stands out more. Was there inattention by the driver? This was a clearly marked railway crossing zone with a stop sign.
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“That’s the focus of the investigation, is to determine why this vehicle proceeded and was struck.”
Officers from the Yellowhead RCMP detachment, along with a Forensic Collision Reconstructionist are working with CP Police as the investigation continues.
In a tweet Tuesday afternoon, STARS air ambulance said they were called to a scene call in the Strathclair area at 12:42 p.m.
RCMP warned motorists to avoid the area in a tweet after the crash, and said multiple emergency personnel were on scene.
Strathclair is roughly 239 km northwest of Winnipeg.
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