Canada grieves after 15 die in hockey team bus crash
HUMBOLDT (AP) — A semitrailer slammed into a bus carrying a youth hockey team in western Canada, killing 15 people and injuring 14 in a catastrophic collision that left a country and its national sport heartbroken. The crash on Friday sent shockwaves through the team’s small hometown.
Canadians were moved to tears as they learned the identities of the deceased on the bus that was driving the Humboldt Broncos hockey team to a crucial playoff game Friday against the Nipawin Hawks.
“The worst nightmare has happened,” said the league’s president, Bill Chow, as his eyes welled up with tears.
The Broncos are a close-knit team from the small city of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, which has a population of about 6,000. Since the horrific accident, many have gathered at the community center at the hockey arena. A vigil is scheduled for tonight.
“An entire country is in shock and mourning,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. “This is every parent’s worst nightmare. No one should ever have to see their child leave to play the sport they love and never come back.”
The bus had 29 passengers, including the driver, when it crashed at about 5 p.m. on Highway 35, police said. Among the dead are Broncos head coach Darcy Haugan, team captain Logan Schatz and radio announcer Tyler Bieber. Authorities earlier said three were in critical condition, but later provided an update to say that 15 have now died.
Canadian police said the truck driver was initially detained, but has since been released and provided with mental health assistance. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Curtis Zablocki said it’s too early to state a cause for the crash.
In a tweet, US President Donald Trump said he called Trudeau to offer his condolences to the families of victims.
Darren Opp, president of the Nipawin Hawks, said a semi Tboned the players’ bus — an account police confirmed.
“It’s a horrible accident, my God,” Opp said.
Hassan Masri, an emergency room doctor at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital who has done work in war-torn Syria, said the crash reminded him of an airstrike.