RCMP say 27 students and an adult driver were on board a school bus that crashed Monday afternoon near Tisdale, a town about 200 kilometers northeast of Saskatoon.

The bus, carrying students ages 14 to 17, crashed around 3:55 p.m. CST near an intersection 14 miles southwest of Tisdale.

Police said all of the students and the driver were taken to hospital by paramedics or their parents, and one youth was airlifted to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon by STARS Air Ambulance. Six students and the driver were seriously injured, and 21 students suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Rita Lumberjack, councilor for the Kinistin Saulteaux Nation, told CBC that the students involved were all from the First Nation.

The Northeast School Division also confirmed the incident and expressed concern. The students all attend Tisdale Middle and High School.

“We would like to express our sincerest gratitude to all emergency responders and medical professionals for their quick response and care of all involved,” the division said in a statement. “We send our healing thoughts and wishes for a speedy recovery to those affected.”

RCMP said in a statement Monday that the bus was upright in the ditch after the crash.

All families of the students were notified and the road at the intersection where the incident occurred has since been reopened.

Officers continue to investigate with the assistance of a Saskatchewan RCMP collision reconstructionist, police said.