Canada: 10 dead in stabbings in Saskatchewan, manhunt underway

Canadian police say that ten people have been killed and at least 15 others injured in two remote communities in Saskatchewan on Sunday.

"We have located 10 deceased individuals in 13 locations in the community of James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon, Saskatchewan," Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore told a news conference.

"Several additional victims have been injured, 15 of which at this point have been transported to various hospitals," she added.

The James Smith First Nation is an indigenous community with about 3,400 inhabitants mainly engaged in agriculture, hunting and fishing. Weldon is a village with about 200 inhabitants.

The community declared a local state of emergency, while many Saskatchewan residents were urged to seek shelter locally.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the mass stabbing "horrific and heartbreaking." "I'm thinking of those who have lost a loved one and of those who were injured," he tweeted.

What we know?

Blackmore said police received a call about a stabbing at the James Smith First Nation at 5:40 a.m. (11:40 a.m. GMT), which was quickly followed by calls reporting more stabbings.

She said authorities believe "some of the victims were attacked by the suspects and others were attacked indiscriminately."

Police launched a manhunt for two suspects. They named Damien S. and Myles S. as the two suspects and said they were driving a black Nissan Rogue.

Multiple checkpoints have been set up on highways and roads across the region as "maximum" police resources have been deployed to search for the suspects, Blackmore said.

Police bulletins urged to report any suspicious people and to take precautions like staying at home. An advisory also warned against picking up hitchhikers or approaching suspicious people.

Following reported sightings of the suspects in Regina, the provincial capital more than 300 kilometers (185 miles) south, the alert and search has been extended to neighboring provinces of Manitoba and Alberta.

Canada's history of mass killing incidents

The country's worst mass killing in modern times occurred in Nova Scotia in April 2020, when a gunman who disguised himself as a police officer killed at least 16 people during a 12-hour rampage.

In January 2017, a man opened fire during evening prayers at a Quebec City mosque, killing six people and injuring five. In December 2014, a man in Edmonton killed eight people, including his wife, before killing himself.

In December 1989, a gunman killed 14 students, all female, and wounded 13 at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal before committing suicide.