Responding to emergency calls, police found ten bodies in the James Smith Cree Nation Indigenous community and the nearby town of Weldon, Saskatchewan (Western Province), the Deputy Commissioner of the Mounted Police said. Canadian Royal, Rhonda Blackmore, at a press conference.
“Several other victims were injured, 15 of whom have so far been transported to various hospitals,” she added, adding that the police were looking for “two suspects” and investigating “the numerous crime scenes”.
The suspects have been identified, two men named Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson, aged 30 and 31, with black hair and brown eyes.
They allegedly fled in a black Nissan Rogue, Ms Blackmore said. Police forces were deployed “at their maximum” to capture them.
“Today’s attacks in Saskatchewan are horrific and heartbreaking. My thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones and those who have been hurt,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote on Twitter.
Police had received a first call at 05:40 local time (11:40 GMT) reporting a stabbing attack at James Smith Cree Nation, followed by others.
The locality of James Smith Cree Nation, populated by 2,500 inhabitants, has declared a state of local emergency. Saskatchewan residents have also been asked to stay home for safety.
Diane Shier, a resident of Weldon, told local media Canadian Press that her neighbor, who lived with her grandson, had been killed. “I am very affected because I lost a good neighbour,” she said.
– “Critical patients” –
Authorities believe “some of the victims were targeted by the suspects and others were randomly attacked,” she said, stressing that it was too early to address the motive for the attacks.
The suspects were first reported in Regina, the provincial capital located more than 300 kilometers to the south.
The alert and search then spread to the neighboring provinces of Manitoba and Alberta, a vast region half the size of Europe.
The Saskatchewan health authority told AFP that it had activated emergency protocols to deal with “a high number of critical patients”.
“We can confirm that multiple 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.
Three helicopters and a medic were dispatched from Saskatoon and Regina to transport the stab victims.
