The province is promising a full investigation into Monday's horrific multi-vehicle crash involving a transport truck and a passenger van, in a rural community northeast of Stratford, Ont.
Transport Minister Bob Chiarelli met with the media on Tuesday and promised to take action to prevent a crash like like that in the future.
However, he said it is too soon to say what the next steps will be.
"This accident is less than twenty-four hours old and we're not going to provide solutions until we know the facts."
The Ontario Provincial Police have scheduled a news conference for Wednesday morning to provide an update on their investigation.
Given the scope of the tragedy and the circumstances, Chiarelli said the coroner will likely call an inquest.
He also said there is a federal/provincial review underway of how safe 15-passenger vans are.
"Expect that there will be some positive regulatory suggestions and recommendations that come out of that process."
The review was launched in 2007, in the wake of a crash involving a van carrying a high school basketball team in New Brunswick.
Chiarelli was then asked why the review was taking so long.
"That's a very good question but it is a multi-level government inquiry and they're ready to report this summer," he replied.
Emergency crews described a scene of death and destruction in Monday's horrific multi-vehicle crash.
Perth County Ambulance officials confirmed that 11 were killed and three people were sent to hospital in critical condition. Ontario Provincial Police said 10 people inside the van, as well as the driver of the truck, were killed.
The crash happened shortly before 5 p.m., Monday, at the intersection of Perth Road 107 and Line 47, in the hamlet of Hampstead.
Police said the passengers in the van were migrant, agricultural workers from Peru. Officials are still trying to contact next of kin, so the identities of the victims cannot yet be released.
The truck driver has been identified as 38-year-old Christopher Fulton of London.
"The impact and the carnage that was out there -- it's a miracle that these people are still living," Const. Kees Wijnands said.
Emergency officials on the scene said five of the victims were already dead when fire officials arrived, and the others died as paramedics tried to help them.
Perth East Mayor Ian Forrest said donations are being accepted to help
the victims' families. He said staff members are working with a local CIBC branch
to set up the donation information. Donation details will be available
at
pertheast.ca.
Forrest also said he's been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from across the country.
Albert Burgers, who owns the chicken farm where the migrant workers were working before the crash, said some of them had been with the crew for more than 10 years.
A witness told
CityNews the truck T-boned a vehicle carrying many passengers.
"There was a van that didn't full stop and then there was a bigger truck - not a tractor trailer, one size smaller -- and he hit the van," he said.
Police said it appears the truck rolled over into the yard of a house near the intersection where the collision occurred. The truck the pushed the passenger van against the wall of the home.
Based on what police told the CEO of the truck company, Speedy Transport, it appears the van went through a stop sign and was hit by the truck.
One person was transported to a Hamilton hospital by air ambulance. Two others were taken to a hospital in Stratford.