Eight people including several children were seriously injured Wednesday morning after a bus hit a daycare center in a town on the outskirts of Montreal.
"
There are currently eight seriously injured
," said Marianne Lessard, spokesperson for Quebec relief.
“
Sixteen vehicles including nine ambulances are currently present on the ground
,” she added.
"
A large perimeter has been deployed
" around the partly destroyed building, also told AFP the police of the city of Laval where the daycare center is located.
Driver arrested
The event happened around 8:30 a.m.
Several injured children found themselves trapped under the bus, before being released, said the relief.
According to the Minister of Public Security of Quebec, François Bonnardel, the driver of the bus was placed under arrest.
The police are investigating whether the act was intentional.
On the images, we can see the bus embedded in a part of the building which is not located at the edge of the road but on a parking lot.
Part of the roof of the building collapsed on the front of the bus.
“
I helped control the driver who got off the bus
,” a father told Radio Canada before bursting into tears.
According to his wife, the man was "
half-naked
" and relatives saw him "
deliberately rush into the daycare
".
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"
It is the class of the oldest children who have been affected
", says another mother with her child in her arms.
"
It's a shock, many parents are in panic because they can't yet approach the place and their children are there
," she continues very moved.
Several seriously injured
Sainte-Justine hospital, which received the victims of the accident, confirmed that there were several seriously injured and announced a press briefing at the start of the afternoon.
“
What a terrible tragedy this morning in Laval.
There is nothing worse than being afraid for your child.
I am thinking of the children, the parents and the employees
, ”tweeted Quebec Premier François Legault.
"
As a father, I am shaken and then I find it hard and I can understand the anguish that parents are currently experiencing
," he also said during a press briefing.
Same emotion on the side of the authorities of Laval, the third largest city in Quebec located on the outskirts of Montreal.
“
I am devastated by this news.
The investigation continues to understand this tragic series of events
, ”said Laval Mayor Stéphane Boyer on Twitter.
“
All my support to the parents in these difficult times.
Laval is wholeheartedly with you and will be there for you.
I go there to meet the families
,” he added.
The daycare normally accommodates 80 to 85 children.
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