School bus rolls off Manitoba highway, 14 students and driver sent to hospital

SWAN RIVER — Mounties say 14 students and a driver were taken to hospital Tuesday after it’s believed a school bus rolled off a highway in Manitoba while trying to pass another bus near the Saskatchewan boundary.

RCMP say they believe the road was slippery when the school bus driver lost control while trying to make the pass in the morning crash on Highway 10 south of Mafeking, near Swan River.

Police say the bus, with students between the ages of 16 to 18 aboard, stopped rolling when it landed right-side up.

RCMP say four suffered significant but non-life-threatening injuries and all those aboard were taken for treatment to a health centre in Swan River, about 550 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

Two Manitoba health authorities, Shared Health and Prairie Mountain Health, said in a joint statement that four people were later airlifted from Swan River to hospital in Winnipeg. It said three were taken to the Children’s Hospital.

Photos circulating on social media show a yellow Sapotaweyak Education Authority bus tilted in the snow with a crumpled front end, shattered side windows and an open back door.

The Swan Valley School Division said the bus had been taking students from Sapotaweyak Cree Nation to the Northern Lights Institute of Trades and Technology, and Swan Valley Regional Secondary School.

“Swan Valley School Division immediately deployed three counsellors and our division’s Knowledge Keeper to the Health Centre to provide emotional support to students and families,” the division said in a statement Tuesday.

“We sincerely thank the first responders for their swift action and compassion during this difficult time.”

Executives at Shared Health and Prairie Mountain Health said in a statement that a code orange alert — a signal to prepare for a potential mass casualty event — had initially been invoked as a precaution at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre, but was later rescinded.

The statement said no further updates on the condition of those injured in the crash would be provided to protect patient privacy.

“We also extend our thoughts to Chief Nelson Genaille and Sapotaweyak Cree Nation, recognizing the broader impact an incident like this can have on the entire community,” the statement read.

“While we are thankful this incident did not result in any loss of life, we recognize the emotional toll such an event can have on those who experienced it.”

Premier Wab Kinew, speaking to reporters in Gimli, said the crash led to some “pretty scary injuries,” and said he had spoken with Genaille to offer whatever support was needed.

Kinew said he is open to changing bus safety rules, including adding seatbelts, but more needs be known about what happened first.

“What was the cause of this accident? What were the nature of the injuries? What would be the safety measure that would come out of it?” said Kinew.

“We’ve got to get that (information) before we go to the next level.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2026.

The Canadian Press