The stabbings that have left at least 10 dead and 15 wounded in two communities in the province of Saskatchewan are “horrific and disturbing,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“My thoughts are with the people who have lost a loved one and those who have been injured,” wrote the Canadian president on the social network Twitter.
Trudeau added that the government is closely monitoring the situation as security forces try to locate Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson, 31 and 30, the two suspected perpetrators of Sunday’s attacks.
Also on Twitter, federal Indian Affairs Minister Marc Miller said he has reached out to leaders of the James Smith Cree Nation to offer any support and assistance they may need.
James Smith Cree Nation officials declared a state of emergency and created two emergency operations centers to “provide health support to the three communities” on the reservation.
“We have located 10 dead people at 13 locations in the Saskatchewan communities of the James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon,” located in central Saskatchewan, Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said.
According to the official, several more people were injured, 15 of whom had to be transferred to different hospitals.
Regina Police said in a statement that, with the support of the RCMP, it was working on multiple fronts to locate and apprehend suspects and had “mobilized additional resources for public safety throughout the city.”
The Saskatchewan Health Authority, quoted by the Associated Press, said multiple victims were being treated at different locations.
“A request for additional staff has been issued to respond to the influx of victims,” said authority spokeswoman Anne Linemann.
According to preliminary inquiries, some of the people were intentionally stabbed, while others were randomly attacked, and the motives of the assailants are currently unknown.
The suspects were first seen in Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan, but alerts and search operations have spread to the neighboring provinces of Manitoba and Alberta, a vast region half the size of Europe.
Source: TSF
