Police received the first report of a stabbing on the James Smith Cree Nation at 5:40 a.m. local time (6:30 a.m. ET) Sunday morning, and minutes later several more calls came in reporting d other stabbings in the community, police said.
Within hours, the situation escalated into a mass stabbing event with at least 25 victims, 10 of whom died, police said.
Three STARS Air Ambulance helicopters were dispatched to James Smith’s Cree Nation during the attack, company spokesman Mark Oddan told CNN. The first crew to arrive jumped into casualty triage and the second plane brought in a medic to help with triage and lead the emergency response, he said.
Helicopter crews took some victims to Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon and several other patients were brought to local hospitals by land ambulances, Oddan said. He was unable to provide details about the patients or their conditions.
Several dangerous person alerts were issued by police throughout the morning, spreading across the province of Saskatchewan and neighboring Manitoba and Alberta.
Marco Mendicino, Canadian Minister of Public Safety asked residents to take shelter.
“To everyone in Saskatchewan, especially those near the James Smith Cree First Nation area, please shelter in place and stay safe,” he tweeted.
Authorities have identified 13 separate scenes where the attacks took place.
There may be other victims who were injured and taken to hospital, police said, urging potential victims to contact law enforcement.
“Our hearts go out to the many deceased and injured victims, their families, friends and communities. It is horrific what happened in our province today,” said Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore.
Here’s where the attack happened in Saskatchewan:
