A bus carrying mostly elderly people has collided with a lorry in a rural part of the Canadian province of Manitoba, killing 15 people and injuring 10 more, police have said.

Rob Hill, commanding officer of the Manitoba Royal Canadian Mounted Police, said the bus was carrying 25 people and authorities are deploying all their resources in the province to the scene.

Ten people were taken to hospitals.

Assistant Commissioner Hill told a news conference that “sadly, this is a day in Manitoba and across Canada that will be remembered as one of tragedy and incredible sadness”.

TV broadcasters aired images of what looked like a large van or bus smouldering in a ditch near a transport truck with a smashed engine on a road.

The pavement was littered with debris – broken glass, a large bumper and what looked like a walking aid.

Seven blue and yellow tarpaulins were stretched out.

Ambulance helicopters were dispatched to the scene from Winnipeg and Regina.

“The news from Carberry, Manitoba is incredibly tragic,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted.

“I’m sending my deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones today, and I’m keeping the injured in my thoughts. I cannot imagine the pain those affected are feeling – but Canadians are here for you.”

Carberry is 105 miles west of Manitoba’s capital of Winnipeg.

The crash brought back memories of the 2018 bus crash in the neighbouring province of Saskatchewan that killed 16 people from the Humboldt Broncos minor league hockey team.

The worst traffic accident in Canadian history occurred in 1997 when a bus carrying seniors plunged into a ravine in the province of Quebec, killing 44 people.