Fans and Families in Grief After A Crash That Killed 15 People
Mourning and shock gripped Canada after a tragic crash between a bus carrying a junior hockey team and a semi-trailer that killed 15 people.
The bus carrying 29 Humboldt Broncos hockey players, driver and coaches collided with the lorry at around 17:00 local time (23:00 GMT). The crash devastated the Bronco players’ families and the community.
The tragedy has drawn sympathy and compassion from the concerned Canadian communities, fans, and locals for the families who lost their loved ones in the crash.
Prime Minister expressed his sympathy by saying, “An entire country is in shock and mourning. We are heartbroken knowing many of those we lost had their entire lives in front of them … This is every parent’s worst nightmare. No one should ever have to see their child leave to play the sport they love and never come back.”
The Broncos president, Kevin Garinger, described the deep shock in the community.
“We are stunned and grieving,” he told a news conference on Saturday. “Everything about this tragedy is unprecedented.”
US President Donald Trump said he called Prime Minister Trudeau “to pay my highest respect and condolences to the families of the terrible Humboldt Team tragedy.”
The Humboldt Broncos, who play in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, were en route to a play-off game against the Nipawin Hawks.
The Tragedy
The tragic crash took place late on Friday afternoon on a rural highway some 200km north-east of Saskatoon in the province of Saskatchewan. The truck was heading west and the bus north when they collided.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said 28 people including the driver were on the bus, 15 of whom were killed. The victims included Broncos coaches Darcy Haugan Logan Schatz and Jaxon Joseph, one of the team’s leading scorers.
The other 13 aboard the bus have been taken to hospital. Three are in critical condition.
The team comprises 24 players, all from Canada, with the youngest aged 16 and the oldest 21. The Canadian authorities have not yet disclosed all the names of those who died in the crash.
