'Everything seems so dark and gloomy' in aftermath of fatal bus crash, mayor of grieving Manitoba city says

Pavement scored by tire marks, scorched grass and pieces of debris are the tangible evidence left at the scene of one of Manitoba's deadliest crashes.

But there is now a weight, a grief in a community struggling to comprehend the deaths of 15 people and injuries to 10 others.

"Literally, everybody in town knows somebody that was on that bus," said David Bosiak, mayor of Dauphin. "Right now it's just dealing with the magnitude of this and how everybody is impacted."

A semi-trailer truck and a bus carrying 25 people, mostly seniors from Dauphin and the surrounding area, collided on the Trans-Canada Highway at Highway 5, just north of Carberry, on Thursday morning.

The bus was headed to a casino in Carberry, on a day trip from Dauphin, a western Manitoba city of around 8,000 located about 150 kilometres north of Carberry. Emergency crews were called to the scene around 11:45 a.m., where witnesses described smoke and flames coming from the small bus and front end of the semi.

The drivers of the bus and truck are among the survivors. 

RCMP Supt. Rob Lasson said it appears the bus was heading south on Highway 5 and crossing the Trans-Canada Highway when it was hit.

He declined to speculate on the cause or circumstances of the crash, but said the investigation continues and criminal charges are a possibility.

The Trans-Canada Highway fully reopened in both directions just before 3 a.m. Friday.

Bosiak spoke in single words when asked Friday morning how his community was doing: "Shock. Sadness. Concern." 

Words of support have been flooding in and helping people through some of the raw emotions, he said.

"It's honestly been overwhelming, both from far and near. We've had people reach out from literally coast to coast," Bosiak said. 

"It's going to be hard. This is a tough slog, absolutely. But just knowing that others are feeling for us here is really important."

WATCH | Dauphin mayor says everyone in city knows someone impacted by the crash: