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Tow trucks carrying wrecked vehicles leave the scene of a deadly two-car collision in Mapleton Township on Saturday. Five children were killed and six people were injured in the crash. Ian Stewart/The Canadian Press
Five young siblings are dead and an infant is among the six people injured after a two-vehicle collision in rural Ontario.
The Ontario Provincial Police say the four girls and one boy were aged 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12. Their infant sibling and parents were seriously injured, and two older adults believed to be the children’s grandparents are also seriously injured.
The crash happened around 7:30 p.m., Friday evening in Mapleton Township, northwest of Guelph, at the intersection of 4th Line and Wellington Road 12.
Investigators say a van with 10 people inside and a sport utility vehicle with one person collided at the intersection.
The driver of the SUV was also hospitalized with critical injuries.
“This is an unimaginable loss,” OPP Superintendent Dwight Thib told reporters at police headquarters in Fergus, Ont.
Thib thanked the “Good Samaritans” who stopped to help first responders, adding the victims received “immediate care” at the scene.
At least three people were airlifted to various trauma centres, while others were rushed to local hospitals.
They were taken to many different hospitals because of the “chaotic” nature of the collision, said OPP Const. Matthew Burton.
Gregg Davidson, the mayor of Mapleton Township, said he doesn’t yet know whether the victims are local residents.
“Our hearts go out to the family members involved, to the friends of the family,” Davidson said. “So many deceased in this one crash.”
The mayor said there are supports available for the volunteer firefighters and other first responders who were at the collision scene.
“It’s certainly not something you would want to come up upon,” Davidson said.
“Our community is strong, and our community is resilient,” Davidson added. “We’ll respond with kindness and love, like we always do.”
In a post on social media, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his thoughts are with the children and their loved ones, as well as the crash victims still in hospital.
“This heartbreaking loss is being felt across the community and the entire province,” Ford said, calling for community members to come together in the wake of the tragedy.
Police are investigating the full circumstances of the crash, Thib said.
Read the full article at The Globe and Mail →
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