Truck-van collision in east-central Canada kills 11

[News_Editor]

Truck-van collision in east-central Canada kills 11

2012-02-07 17:01:44 GMT+7 (ICT)

TORONTO, CANADA (BNO NEWS) -- Eleven people were killed on late Monday afternoon when a truck and a van were involved in a collision in east-central Canada, local media reported on Tuesday. Several others were injured.

The accident happened at around 5 p.m. local time when a flatbed truck collided with a passenger van at Perth Road 107 and Line 47 in Hampstead, a hamlet located northeast of Startford in the province of Ontario.

Ontario Provincial Police Inspector Steve Porter told CTV News that the flatbed truck, operated by Speedy Transport, was heading southbound when it crashed into the side of the white passenger van, which was carrying 13 people, forcing it to hit the side of a house.

Porter said the driver of the truck along with ten people on board the van, which was carrying mostly migrant workers, were killed. The three people who survived the horrific crash were rushed to local hospitals in Startford and Hamilton, but their conditions were not immediately known.

In a brief statement, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty expressed 'great sadness' after being informed of the deadly accident in Hampstead. "It is with great sadness that I learned today of the tragic auto accident in Hampstead that has taken so many lives," he said. "On behalf of 13 million Ontarians, I want to offer our deepest condolences to those who lost a loved one and to offer our most sincere prayers for those taken to hospital."

McGuinty also thanked emergency workers who responded to the accident "under very difficult circumstances."

CTV News said police are still investigating the cause of the accident but have not ruled out speeding, failure to obey a stop sign at the intersection and drunk driving. It was one of the deadliest road accident in the history of Ontario.

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