At least 10 people are dead and another 15 are hospitalised amid a stabbing spree in a First Nation community in Saskatchewan, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).
“It is horrific what has happened in our province today,” RCMP Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said in a press conference on Sunday.
The official said police are “dedicating maximum resources” to catching the perpetrators.
The assailants allegedly commited a string of attacks in 13 locations throughout the James Smith Cree Nation and the village of Weldon.
Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe offered his condolences to victims and their families.
“There are no words to adequately describe the pain and loss caused by this senseless violence,” he wrote on Twitter on Sunday. “All of Saskatchewan grieves with the victims and their families.”
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said his office is monitoring the situation.
“The attacks in Saskatchewan today are horrific and heartbreaking. I’m thinking of those who have lost a loved one and of those who were injured,” he said on Twitter on Sunday.
“We are closely monitoring the situation, and urge everyone to follow updates from local authorities,” he added. “Thank you to all the brave first responders for their efforts on the ground.”
Police said some victims were random and others were specifically targeted. Officials declined to share more specifics about what the motive for the attacks might be, citing the ongoing investigation.
Officers are trying to find Damien and Myles Sanderson, who are reportedly driving a black Nissan Rogue with the Saskatchewan license plate 119 MPI.
“We don’t know if they have changed their vehicle,” the RCMP commissioner said during Sunday’s briefing.
The RCMP considers both men suspects in the stabbings. Police have warned people in the Regina area to “take precautions” and consider sheltering in place.
“Do not leave a secure location. DO NOT APPROACH suspicious persons. Do not pick up hitch hikers. Report suspicious persons, emergencies, or info to 911,” they said in a Twitter post.
Police describe Damien as 5ft 7 and weighing 155 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Myles is described as 6ft 1 and 240 pounds with brown hair and eyes.
The men have reportedly been spotted in Regina and Melfort. Police are asking that the “dangerous persons” alert be extended beyond Saskatchewan to Manitoba and Alberta provinces.
Doreen Lees, 89, of Weldon, told USA Today she and her daughter may have seen one of the suspects.
They described how a car came speeding down their street on Sunday morning, then a man approached, walking with a “wobbly” gait saying he was injured and needed help, before fleeing.
“He wouldn’t show his face. He had a big jacket over his face. We asked his name and he kind of mumbled his name twice and we still couldn’t get it,” Ms Lees said. “He said his face was injured so bad he couldn’t show it.”
Weldon resident Diane Shier said she was in her garden on Sunday when she saw first responders nearby. She learned that her neighbour, a senior who lived with his grandson, was killed, she told the Toronto Star.
“I am very upset because I lost a good neighbour,” she said, declining to name the individual out of respect for their family’s privacy.
At least three medical helicopters were dispatched, two from Saskatoon and one from Regina, to assist with first response efforts.
The Saskatoon crew triaged victims at the scene of one of the stabbings, and a second brought a doctor to help lead the response, reported CBC News.
At least three patients were taken for treatment at hospitals by air, and one was taken by ground ambulance to a hospital in Saskatoon.
Anne Lindemann, a spokesperson for the Saskatchewan Health Authority told CBC News in an email that it has put out a call for additional staff to help treat an “influx of casualties”.
“As with any incident with a high number of casualties, our emergency preparedness teams are responding to the evolving needs to ensure patients are triaged and cared for appropriately,” the hospital said in a statement.
The stabbings took place as football fans converged in Regina for a sold out Labour Day game between the Canadian Football League’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The Regina Police Service said in a release they had “deployed additional resources for public safety throughout the city, including the football game at Mosaic Stadium”.
