Quebec daycare bus crash – live: Two children dead, six injured after Laval bus crash
Laval #Laval
Parents and their children are loaded onto a warming bus as they wait for news after a bus crashed into a daycare centre in Laval, Quebec, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023 (AP)
Two children have died and six have been injured after a city bus crashed into a daycare centre in Laval, Quebec.
The 51-year-old man who was behind the wheel has been arrested on charges of homicide and dangerous driving, according to CBC.
He was working for Société de transport de Laval (STL).
The bus struck the daycare centre at about 8.30am on Wednesday morning in the Sainte-Rose area, Laval Police has said.
An area resident who saw the crash take place said he and a number of parents subdued the driver, who is reported to have been acting erratically.
They also attempted to rescue the children who had been trapped under the bus.
As many as 12 people required medical attention, with eight others taken to hospitals, according to Urgences-santé.
Sainte-Justine Hospital, a pediatric facility, told Radio Canada that they’re “everything possible to treat the patients, but also to support the families in this tragic situation”.
Hamdi Ben Chaabane is a resident in the area and witnessed the incident, telling CBC that the bus appeared to be going between 30 and 40 kph at the time of the crash.
“From what I saw, it wasn’t an accident,” he said.
PHOTOS: Parents greet children after bus crash
18:10 , Gustaf Kilander
A couple escorts a child from a daycare centre after a city bus crashed into the facility in Laval, Quebec, Wednesday, Feb.8, 2023 (AP)
A woman carries a child from a daycare centre after a city bus crashed into the facility in Laval, Quebec, Wednesday, Feb.8, 2023 (AP)
Laval, Canada, Police secure the scene where a city bus (C) crashed into a day care center on February 8, 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)
Parents and their children are loaded onto a warming bus as they wait for news after a bus crashed into a daycare centre in Laval, Quebec, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023 (AP)
Parents wait for news after a bus crashed into a daycare centre in Laval, Quebec, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023 (AP)
Parents and their children are loaded onto a warming bus as they wait for news after a bus crashed into a daycare centre in Laval, Quebec, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023 (AP)
Laval, Canada, Police secure the scene where a city bus crashed into a day care center on February 8, 2023 (AFP via Getty Images)
‘He was totally naked’: Witness describes driver as being ‘in another world’
17:55 , Gustaf Kilander
Hamdi Ben Chaabane lives in the area where the crash took place.
“From what I saw, it wasn’t an accident,” he told CBC.
He said the driver exited the vehicle after the crash and started acting unpredictably.
“He opened the door. He took off all his clothes. He was totally naked,” the witness said. “We don’t know why he did that. We dove on him. We tried to subdue him.”
He said the driver seemed to be “in another world.”
“It was a nightmare. It’s horrible. He didn’t stop yelling. He wasn’t saying words,” he said.
Two children dead, six injured after bus crashes into Quebec daycare
17:45 , Graig Graziosi
Two children were killed and six others hurt after a city bus drove into a day care in Laval, Quebec, according to police.
Story continues
The bus driver, a 51-year-old man, has been arrested and charged with homicide and dangerous driving.
According to a Laval police spokesperson, the bus owned by the Société de transport de Laval drove into the daycare around 8:30am on Wednesday.
The spokesperson said two children were confirmed dead and six others were injured and have been hospitalised, but they are expected to survive.
Read more:
Two children dead, six injured after bus crashes into Quebec daycare