3 international students die in head-on crash north of Winnipeg

Three international students at the University of Manitoba died Thursday morningafter a head-on crash north of Winnipeg, the Manitoba Islamic Association says.

"It's very devastating to the community," said TasneemVali, the association's vice-chair.

The students, all young men, were fromBangladesh, she said.

A northbound car and a southbound car collided just before 6:30 a.m. on Highway 7, about 10 kilometres south of the Interlake community of Arborg, RCMP said.

The southbound vehicle had the three students in it. All were pronounced dead at the scene, RCMP said.

Police said two of the men were 23. They did not have an age for the third man.

A53-year-old womanfrom the rural municipality of Armstrongwas in the northbound car. Shereceived seriousbut non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to hospital in Winnipeg.

As the province's largest Muslim organization, the Manitoba Islamic Association is handling the funeral arrangements, along with offering grief counselling and other supports to anyone who needs that help,Vali said.

The families of all three students are overseas. The Islamic association andlocal Bangladeshi associations are reaching out to them, she said.

Vali said her associationwill also offercounselling online for any family members, adding there are many arrangements to be made regarding the bodies and the funerals.

"Right now, really, everybody's just digesting all of this," she said.

Alcohol is not considered a factor in the collision, which remains under investigation, RCMP said. A section of the highway remained closed for several hours and was reopened around 10:30 a.m.

Arborg is about 115 kilometres north of Winnipeg.

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