14 Killed In Tragic Crash Involving Bus Carrying An Entire Canadian Junior Ice Hockey Team
Canadian authorities have confirmed that at least 14 people have been killed in a vehicular accident just north of Tisdale in Saskatchewan, Canada. According to a report from BBC, the accident had involved a tractor-trailer colliding head-on with a bus carrying an entire junior league hockey team. The accident occurred at around 5 p.m., Friday, on Highway 35. The Humboldt Broncos junior ice hockey team was reportedly on their way to a playoff game against the Nipawin Hawks. The game was canceled in light of the recent incident. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police confirmed that there were 28 people on board the bus, including the driver, when it collided with the truck.
Emergency response teams immediately rushed to the scene, which was already clogged up with traffic. Half of the passengers were killed, while 14 others were immediately taken to the nearest hospital. At least three of the injured are reportedly in critical condition. Players on the team are aged between 16 and 21-years-old. As reported by The New York Times, the identities of the victims have not yet been made public. The identity of the truck’s driver has also not yet been announced. Authorities have set up information and support centers for families of the victims. Parents and family members were instructed to proceed to the Nipawin Apostolic Church.
RCMP in Saskatchewan confirm "multiple fatalities" and several serious injuries after Humboldt Broncos' bus collides with tractor trailer. https://t.co/npQMf4b6I9 pic.twitter.com/33kMnLzziT
— SportsCentre (@SportsCentre) April 7, 2018
Myles Shumlanski, the father of one of the team’s players, received a call from his son immediately after the crash. Shumlanski told the Saskatoon Star Phoenix that the scene looked like a “disaster” with cranes rushing to lift the bus up to free trapped passengers. While Shumlanski’s son was fortunately spared, other parents and family members were still in dark and have not yet received confirmation if their children were OK.
I cannot imagine what these parents are going through, and my heart goes out to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy, in the Humboldt community and beyond. https://t.co/2cIn2CTy08
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 7, 2018
The team’s president, Kevin Garinger, and the president of the Nipawin Hawks took to social media to express their grief over the tragic accident. Saskatchewan’s premier, Scott Moe, also expressed his grief on social media and mentioned that the entire province is grieving over the loss. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also posted a tweet and mentioned that he could not begin to imagine what the parents and family members of the victims must be going through.
