Five-year-old boy dies after school bus, truck collide in Quebec town; 10-year-old injured

A Surete du Quebec badge is seen in Montreal on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

A five-year-old boy has died after his school bus collided with a bucket truck on the shoulder of a rural road on Tuesday afternoon.

A 10-year-old was also seriously injured and has been taken to hospital in Montreal, said Quebec provincial police.

In the hours after the 3:30 p.m.crash, and as of 6:30 p.m. police said a child was fighting for his life. They updated the situation later in the evening.

The crash happened in the small town of Lyster, about an hour's drive southwest of Quebec City, on the way to Victoriaville.

According to Quebec provincial police, the accident occurred on 8th Road West, near Fillion Rd. The area is a very rural one, with Lyster having a population of only about 1,600. 

Two workers were in the bucket truck, which was stationary on the shoulder of the road, where they were doing maintenance work. The workers suffered no serious injuries, police said.

The bus driver, a person in their 70s, was taken to hospital, but their life is not in danger, police said.

"It was dusk," said Louis-Philippe Bibeau, a spokesperson for the Surete du Quebec.

"The driver was traveling westbound. In all likelihood he could have been blinded."

An investigator and an accident scene reconstruction specialist were dispatched to the scene to understand on the causes and circumstances surrounding the collision.

--With files from The Canadian Press