2 dead, 9 injured after vehicle strikes pedestrians in Quebec

Two people were killed and nine injured after a car plowed into several pedestrians in downtown Amqui on Monday in the Lower St. Lawrence region of Quebec.

The 38-year-old driver turned himself in to the Quebec Provincial Police (SQ). who confirmed the information to Noovo Info. Police confirmed he was arrested for hit-and-run. A witness told The Canadian Press that the casualties were spread over hundreds of metres.

The incident happened shortly after 3 p.m. along Boulevard Saint-Benoit in Amqui, about 350 km northeast of Quebec City.

Two of the dead were men in their 60s and another in his 70s, an SQ spokesman said. Children are among the victims being treated at the Amqui hospital. Five of the injured were transferred to other hospitals, including three in Quebec City, one in Rimouski, and one in Montreal.

A spokesperson for the regional health board confirmed that Amqui Hospital had been declared a code orange, which usually indicates a disaster situation or one with a large number of casualties.

A truck driver told The Canadian Press he saw four or five people lying on the ground sprawled in the distance, adding that he saw police performing CPR on one of the victims.

Both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier Francois Legault reacted to the event with concern.

“As we learn more about the tragic events that took place, my thoughts are with all those affected,” Trudeau wrote on Twitter. “And the first responders? Thank you for acting quickly, boldly and professionally.”

Lego, also on Twitter, wrote: “All my thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones. Thank you to the first responders on the scene.”

Pascal Berube, who represents the region in the state legislature, said he was on his way to the scene and was troubled by what he heard.

– With Canadian press files