OTTAWA, June 16 (Reuters) - Flags flew lowered in the Canadian province of Manitoba on Friday and relatives braced for bad news after 15 mainly elderly people died in one of the country's worst recent road crashes. "It's a terrible, terrible thing that occurred, and our thoughts go out to the families that have been absolutely devastated by this news," he told reporters in Montreal. Ron Bretecher, whose parents were on the bus, told reporters his mother had survived the crash but his father was still unaccounted for. The bus, heading south, was crossing the Trans-Canada highway when it collided with the truck, which was traveling east. "The fire was about 10 to 15 feet high and the smoke was almost 20, 30 feet high," Vadera said.

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Persons: Justin Trudeau, Ron Bretecher, It's, Mike Blume, David Bosiak, Ross, William Doherty, Nirmesh Vadera, Vadera, David Ljunggren, Nick Macfie, Jonathan Oatis, Nick Zieminski Organizations: OTTAWA, Flags, Police, Canadian Broadcasting Corp, CBC, Thomson Locations: Canadian, Manitoba, Carberry, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Dauphin, Carberry , Manitoba, Canada, Saskatchewan