CANADA Bus crashes into kindergarten: Two children killed, six injured

(Patria) - A city bus crashed into a kindergarten in the Canadian town of Laval, north of Montreal, killing two children, AP reports. Six children were hospitalized.

The 51-year-old bus driver has been arrested and charged with murder and reckless driving. Police are still determining why the driver crashed the bus into the kindergarten.

After the accident, numerous parents went to the kindergarten to check on their children, Index.hr reports. Police directed them to a nearby elementary school, which is now the main gathering point after the accident.

Several police vehicles and ambulances arrived at the scene.

Laval Mayor Stephane Boyer said the driver had been working for Societe de Transport de Laval for about 10 years and had no prior incidents on his record.

- There is a theory that it was an intentional act, but the investigation has yet to confirm it - Boyer said.

 

Malgré la tristesse et l’angoisse de tous, ces quelques images montrent que des enfants de la garderie à Laval sont pris en charge et qu’avec toute l’innocence du monde ils ignorent qu’ils sont au cœur d’un drame terrible .

Crédit : @patsanfacon @LP_LaPresse pic.twitter.com/aMjvtneFvF

— Sacha-Wilky Merazil (@SachaMerazil) February 8, 2023

Hamdi Benchaabane, who lives near the kindergarten, said he rushed to the scene and that he and three parents managed to subdue the driver, who, he says, got out of the bus, took off all his clothes, and started screaming.

- When he got out of the bus, he first took off all his clothes. He was just shouting. The scene was like a nightmare. The driver seemed to be in another world - said the witness.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also commented on social media:

"My heart is with the people of Laval today. No words can take away the pain and fear that parents, children, and kindergarten staff are feeling - but we are here for you. My thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragic event."