Update: 7:54 p.m.
Highway 26 is now open. OPP have cleared the scene.
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Update: 7:05 p.m.
OPP Sgt. Peter Leon provided this update from the collision scene:
"Preliminary investigation has indicated from our technical collision investigators on scene, that the passenger van was travelling northbound and the coach bus travelling southbound. For reasons unknown at this time, the passenger van crossed over the centre line and came in contact with the coach bus," Leon said.
Calling it a 'real tragic set of events,' Leon said the passenger van had a Texas license plate and eight occupants who all went to hospital.
The injured from the van are two adults, two four-year-olds, two 10-year-olds, an 8-year-old and a 15-year-old, Leon said. One of the 10-year-old children is in critical condition and everyone else is listed as serious.
Simcoe County Paramedics transported the injured to the hospital in Collingwood. Ornge Air Ambulance then airlifted them to Toronto area trauma centres and the Hospital for Sick Children.
Leon said OPP officers who responded to the crash reported "a wall of snow just north of this location."
The coach bus was carrying a group of high school students home from a ski trip.
Tonight the school took to twitter to say thank you to everyone that helped. No one on the bus was injured.
St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School tweeted a thank you to Clearview Fire, The Township of Stayner staff and the Stayner Lions Club for 'taking extraordinary care of our students and staff who were involved in the collision.'
"We will keep the injured in our prayers," the tweet said.
Thanks were also extended to the OPP and the Hamilton Wentworth Catholic District School Board.
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Update: 6:15 p.m.
The OPP confirms six children ranging in age from 4 -15 and two adults were critically injured in the crash between a coach bus and a passenger van on Highway 26. The eight victims were all from the van.
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Update: 5:08 p.m.
Clearview Fire Chief Colin Shewell tweeted that passengers aboard the motorcoach have left the warming/reception centre at the Stayner Arena Hall and are heading back to Hamilton.
"I want to thank all Clearview Township Arena staff and the Stayner Lions Club for all the help and support today," Shewell tweeted.
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Original story: 4:04 p.m. Clearview Fire says eight people have been taken to hospital by County of Simcoe Paramedics following a serious crash on Highway 26 north of Stayner.
The patients are in serious condition, according to the Fire department, adding that firefighters extricated 5 people.
"We responded with eight transport ambulances, two supervisors and an operations commander," said County of Simcoe Paramedics Deputy Chief J.C. Gilbert. "We had eight patients transported all with serious, critical injuries."
OPP Sgt. Peter Leon tells BarrieToday.com that the collision between a Coach Bus and a passenger van occurred on Highway 26 near 27-28 Sideroad just after 1:30 p.m.
There were 41 teens, 3 adult chaperones and one driver on the bus. The group was returning to Hamilton following a ski trip.
They were assessed at the scene by paramedics but no one on the bus was hurt. There were serious injuries to eight people in the passenger van.
"The majority of the injured are young people," Leon said.
"We have off-loaded all the passengers on the coach bus to the Stayner Community Centre and there is secondary transportation being arranged for them."
The patients were taken to Collingwood General and Marine Hospital and will be airlifted to Toronto hospitals.
"We requested the assistance of Ornge Air Ambulance," said Gilbert. "They have deployed resources to give us a hand with transports to the trauma centre in Toronto."
Leon reports that one of the Toronto hospitals where patients are being airlifted is the Hospital for Sick Children.
"We have a number of individuals in the passenger van who have been transported to local hospital where they're being assessed and Ornge air Ambulance has been contacted with regards to transporting injured persons to other regional centres."
Leon says it was snowing when the crash occurred.
Clearview Township Ward 1 Councillor Doug Measures tweeted that there were four units of Ornge in the community - three helicopters and a PC12 fixed wing.
Highway 26 is closed between Wyant Dr. and Mosley St.
Emergency officials are urging motorists to avoid the area.
