Ten people have been killed and 15 others injured in a series of knife attacks in the province of Saskatchewan in central Canada.
The two alleged perpetrators, aged 31 and 30, are on the run. They were reportedly last seen in the provincial capital Regina. The motive for the crime is unclear.
The victims were targeted and apparently indiscriminately attacked at two locations in Saskatchewan – the James Smith Cree Nation Reserve and the village of Weldon, said police officer Rhonda Blackmore at a press conference“There are 10 confirmed deaths. We have 13 active crime scenes under investigation. So at some of these crime scenes, there may not have been any deaths, but rather some injuries that did not die.”
Other victims could not be ruled out because it was unclear whether everyone involved had reported to authorities, Blackmore continued.
The first emergency call was received at 5:40 a.m., and further attacks from nearby crime scenes were reported within minutes. Shortly after 7 a.m., the police issue a first warning to the population.
Police were looking for the two suspects, aged 31 and 30, in Saskatchewan and neighboring provinces of Manitoba and Alberta. The area of these three provinces in central Canada is more than five times larger than that of Germany. Saskatchewan alone is almost twice the size of Germany, but very sparsely populated with just under 1.2 million people.
“Our priority right now is to locate and arrest the perpetrators so people can be safe again,” Blackmore said. Particular attention was paid to the provincial capital of Regina, which has a population of approximately 230,000. where they were and not to pick up hitchhikers.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was shocked.
“Today’s attacks in Saskatchewan are horrific and heartbreaking. My thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones and those who have been injured,” Trudeau wrote on Twitter. “We are monitoring the situation closely and ask everyone to follow the latest information from local authorities. Thank you to all the brave first responders for their efforts on the ground.”
The Premier offered his condolences on behalf of his government. “All of Saskatchewan mourns with the victims and their families,” Scott Moe of the Conservative Party of Saskatchewan wrote on Twitter.
Canadian Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said Saskatchewan police are using all available resources to search for the two suspects and will keep the public informed as the situation develops.
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