OTTAWA — Six people died Wednesday after a double- decker bus in Canada’s capital city crashed through a railway crossing into a moving train moments after passengers yelled at the bus driver to stop.
Five people died at the site of the crash, which occurred about 6 miles south of downtown at about 8:48 a.m., said Anthony Di Monte, chief of Ottawa’s paramedic service. A sixth died in the hospital and 34 people were injured, Di Monte said at a press conference. Eight remained in critical condition Wednesday night.
‘‘From what I can tell, the bus driver did not notice that these train track’s signal lights were on and the gates were down,’’ Greg Mech, a passenger on the upper level of the bus, said on CBC television. ‘‘People screamed on the bus shortly before the crash because he was not stopping.’’
The Transportation Safety Board, a government agency that investigates crashes, doesn’t know whether the gates were up or down, said Glen Pilon, a lead investigator.
Politicians including Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued statements of condolences. Jim Watson, Ottawa’s mayor, said at a press conference the city’s police and coroner will investigate the incident.
The VIA Rail passenger train was traveling southwest to Toronto. None of the more than 100 passengers on the train was injured, the rail company said in a statement, adding it will cooperate with any investigation.
John Manconi, general manager of local transit authority OC Transpo, said at a press conference he doesn’t how many people were on the bus, which seats 82 passengers.