Three dead, 19 injured as two Calgary transit buses catch fire in chain-reaction crash
A Calgary police officer with 36 years of experience called it among the biggest collision scenes he has worked. The crash shut down a busy north end street around midday Thursday.
Why it matters
The fatal crash raises questions about the safety of Calgary's transit bus fleet and will prompt a formal investigation into what went wrong.
Three people were killed and 19 others injured Thursday afternoon when a chain-reaction crash on a busy street in north Calgary set two city transit buses on fire, police said. The crash happened just after 1 p.m.
Police Staff Sgt. Andy Woodward said a transit bus first struck a car, which then hit other vehicles. The bus continued through the intersection and struck a second, parked transit bus at a bus stop, igniting a fire. That second bus, which ran on natural gas believed to have fueled the blaze, was pushed across the road and collided with three more vehicles.
Of the 19 injured, 10 were taken to hospital by ambulance, in addition to the three who died, EMS spokesperson Adam Loria said. A police officer was also hurt and taken to hospital. Video shared online showed one bus engulfed in flames with heavy smoke rising, while the other had a crumpled front end.
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas said he was heartbroken over the deaths and injuries and confirmed a full investigation will follow. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith also offered condolences to the families of those killed and injured.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.