After a bus collided with a Quebec day care centre, two children died and six were rushed to the hospital.
After the tragedy that occurred in Laval, a suburb 20 miles (30km northwest of Montreal on Wednesday morning, the bus driver, 51 was charged with homicide as well as careless driving.
After emergency services alerted at 8.30 am, parents raced to the scene to see the police cordon the centre off.
A few people tried to flee their cars but were stopped by the police.
Police said that the six children who were taken to hospital didn’t suffer any life-threatening injuries.
Eyewitness Hamdi Benjaabane described pulling one child out of the building.
He claimed that firefighters ordered him and others to leave to save another child. They were concerned about the possibility of falling roof tiles.
The bus driver was “in a completely different world”
Mr Benchaabane said that the driver got off the bus and removed all of his clothes before he started screaming.
“After opening the bus door, he took off all his clothes.
“He was just screaming, there weren’t any words coming out his mouth.”
Benchaabane said that the driver was “in a completely different world”, and added that others on the scene had to hit him in order to control him before police arrived.
He said, “It was a nightmare. I can’t believe that.”
The day care centre is said to have around 80 children aged under five years. It is located on a driveway at the end of an cul-de-sac.
The bus stop is located on the street, but the driver would need to go down the driveway to reach it.
Stephane Boyer, Laval’s mayor, stated that the driver has been with Laval’s public transportation service for approximately 10 years. He has not had any incidents of note on his file.
She added that it was possible for the crash to be deliberate.
“There is an assumption that it was intentional, but this remains to be confirmed by the investigations.”
Erika Landry (Laval police spokesperson) stated Wednesday afternoon that “as of now, no one knows the motive for the crime.”
Under anonymity, a senior Canadian government official said that the crash was not terrorist and did not pose a threat to national security.
Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister, stated that his office was closely following the situation.
Canadian Premier told his 6.4 million Twitter followers that he was with Laval today.
“No words can ease the fear and pain that parents, workers and children feel – but we’re here to help.
“I will keep everyone affected by this tragic, unfathomable event in my thoughts.”
Canada’s CN Tower posted a tweet saying that it would dimm for five minutes at the top hour in memory of the victims and their families.