Canada junior hockey team involved in fatal crash

At least 14 people were killed Friday evening when the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team bus collided with a transport truck on a rural highway in Saskatchewan, 28 kilometers (18 miles) north of Tisdale in southern Canada, Canadian media reported Saturday.

"There have been multiple fatalities — our whole community is in shock," said Kevin Garinger, president of the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

The head coach, Darcy Haugan, and the team captain, Logan Schatz, were reported by relatives to be among the 14 dead. Police would not say who else was killed. There was no mention of the truck driver.

"We can confirm that there are fatalities among the passengers on the bus and a number of serious injuries," read a police statement. "We have limited information available."

The team, made up of players aged between 18 and 21, was headed north to the town of Nipawin for a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoff game when the accident occurred.

Pastor Jordan Gadsby at the Apostolic Church in Nipawin told The Associated Press news agency that more than 100 people had gathered at his church. "Some of them are waiting to hear if their kids are alive," he said

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: "I cannot imagine what these parents are going through, and my heart goes out to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy, in the Humboldt community and beyond."

jlw/tj (AFP, AP, Reuters)

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