2 dead, 9 injured in Amqui, Que., pickup truck driver in custody

© Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press A police ribbon protects the perimeter of a fatal accident, in Amqui, Que., Monday. Two people were killed and nine others were injured when a pickup truck plowed into pedestrians who were walking beside a road in the eastern Quebec town.

Provincial police say pedestrians hit by a pickup truck in Amqui, Que. have been transferred to a trauma unit in Quebec City.

Two people were killed and nine others were injured after a pickup truck plowed into pedestrians walking beside a road in the eastern Quebec town of Amqui on Monday afternoon.

Both people who died were men — one in his 60s and the other in his 70s.

Police spokesperson Sgt. Béatrice Dorsainville said Tuesday six victims were transferred by plane to the CHU de Québec-Université Laval trauma unit. 

Among the injured, three suffered serious injuries and are in critical condition and six others were being evaluated for non-life-threatening injuries, Dorsainville said. 

Gilles Turmel, a spokesperson for the regional health board, confirmed three of the injured have been released from the hospital in Amqui. He said a code orange was launched due to multiple casualties. 

He added that psychological assistance was offered to witnesses yesterday, and they will be available again today and for the weeks to come.

Police say the 38-year-old driver who turned himself in will be charged later today.

Dorsainville said officers believe the act was intentional, but the motive is not yet known.