White flags, stuffed animals mark deadly bus crash site at Laval daycare, premier to visit

A day after a city bus crashed into a Laval, Que. daycare, families are mourning the young victims Thursday, as lawmakers rally their support for a community struck with tragedy.  

Two children were killed and several others rushed to hospital following the horrific incident which occurred shortly after 8:30 a.m. Neighbours described tackling the bus driver and holding him until officers arrived and placed the man into custody.

Parents watched from the sidelines as information on the crash emerged throughout the day. Police arrested the alleged driver, 51-year-old Pierre Ny St-Amand, and charged with two counts of first-degree murder. He also faces seven other charges, including attempted murder, aggravated assault, and assault with a weapon causing bodily harm.

St-Amand, a Laval resident, appeared before a judge via video link from a hospital bed in Montreal’s Sacré-Cœur Hospital under police supervision. He refused to speak during the hearing, and only nodded his head when spoken to by a judge. He was ordered to undergo a psychiatric assessment before his next court appearance on Feb. 17.

According to Laval police, there is no known link between the accused and the daycare. The reason for the attack remains unclear.

Meanwhile, neighbours and parents described feelings of grief and disbelief at the scene. News of the event spread nation-wide and was met with condolences from people across the country, including transport, union, and government officials.

Stuffed toys sit in the snow in a makeshift memorial outside Garderie éducative Sainte-Rose in Laval, Que. Thursday morning. On Wednesday, a bus veered off the road and crashed into the building, killing two children and injuring several others. (Olivia O’Malley, CTV News)

The bus was removed from the scene before midnight on a flatbed truck, exposing the smashed windshield and crumped bumper from the crash. 

The daycare was empty of children Thursday morning and kids were relocated to other centres nearby. Social workers offered counselling to those still coming to terms with the tragedy. The damaged building was patched with wooden panels while dozens of stuffed animals sat at a makeshift memorial just metres away for the young victims.

Two children were released from Sainte-Justine Hospital in Montreal, which had taken in four of the six injured victims.

Patients at Sainte-Justine are between the ages of three and five.

Daycares across the province hung white flags outside their doors in support of the victims’ families.

“The entire team .. is in solidarity with the families and our colleagues,” wrote Les P’tits Soleils daycare in Laval West. 

Quebec Premier François Legault is visiting the scene Thursday shortly before noon.

The flag at the Quebec legislature was lowered to half-mast Thursday morning. On Wednesday, Legault offered condolences to parents. 

“We are going to give the parents all the help we can, and as a father, I am shaken,” he said.

“There is nothing worse than being afraid for your child,” he wrote on social media. “I am thinking of the children, parents and employees.”

A moment of silence was observed in the Salon Bleu the morning of the crash.

— More to come.