Thick fog is blamed for the deaths of an unknown number of cattle when the semi-trailer carrying them was hit by a freight train Tuesday night in southwestern Manitoba.

According to RCMP at Carberry, Man., a semi-trailer carrying 82 cattle was southbound on Highway 5 north of the town around 11 p.m. when the trailer was hit by a westbound Canadian National Railway (CN) train at a controlled crossing.

Of the 82 animals, 11 are confirmed to have survived the crash, while others were killed or had to be destroyed due to their injuries and "some remain at large," RCMP said.

The driver and lone occupant of the truck was taken to hospital in Winnipeg with non-life-threatening injuries and was still in hospital Wednesday, according to Manitoba RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Line Karpish.

RCMP and local volunteers were still trying to account for any missing cattle, she said Wednesday.

Two flatdeck carts were derailed from the train and struck a storage shed at Viterra's facility nearby, RCMP said.

No environmental damage resulted from the derailment or crash, RCMP said, other than a small amount of diesel from the truck which has since been cleaned up.

Crews were still on the scene to handle repairs, while RCMP and CN Police are still investigating the crash, the Mounties said.