Ten people were killed and several others injured on Sunday, September 4, during stabbing attacks in two isolated localities in Canada, including one with a large indigenous population, police said.
“We have located ten deceased people in thirteen locations in James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon communities in Saskatchewan” (central province of the country), said the deputy commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Rhonda Blackmore, during a press conference from Regina, the capital of the province.
“Several other victims were injured, fifteen of whom have so far been transported to various hospitals”she added, adding that the police were looking for “two suspects” and investigated “many crime scenes”.
The suspects, who have been identified, are two men aged 30 and 31. Police forces were deployed “to their fullest” to capture them, said Mr.me Blackmore.
“Today’s attacks in Saskatchewan are horrific and heartbreaking,” tweeted Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “My thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones and those who have been injured”he added.
Research on a territory as large as half of Europe
Police received an initial call at 5:40 a.m. local time reporting a stabbing attack at James Smith Cree Nation, followed by others. The town of James Smith Cree Nation, with a population of 2,500, has declared a state of local emergency. Residents of the province of Saskatchewan have also been asked to stay home for safety.
The authorities believe that “some of the victims were targeted by the suspects and others were randomly attacked”she said, while stressing that it was too early to address the motive for these attacks.
The suspects were first reported in Regina, the provincial capital located more than 300 kilometers to the south. Then the alert and search spread to the neighboring provinces of Manitoba and Alberta, a vast region half the size of Europe.
The Saskatchewan health authority told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that it has activated emergency protocols to deal with “a high number of critical patients”. “We can confirm that several people are being directed and supported across multiple sites and a call for additional staff to help respond to this situation has been made”she added.