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Five children were killed and several others were injured in a two-vehicle collision in rural Ontario, according to the Ontario Provincial Police.
The OPP say the crash happened around 7:30 p.m. on Friday evening in Mapleton Township, at the intersection of 4th Line and Wellington Road 12. That’s about 35 kilometres northwest of Kitchener-Waterloo.
A total of 11 people were involved in the collision, Dwight Thib, commander for the OPP West Region, said in a news conference Saturday.
Ten people in a passenger van and one person in a sport utility vehicle collided at the intersection, said Thib.
In the crash, four girls and one boy died, Thib said. The children were four, six, eight, 10 and 12 years old, according to the OPP. They were all related.
The family involved is from Elmira, according to OPP. The Ontario township is about 37 kilometres south of the intersection where the crash happened, between Mapleton and Kitchener-Waterloo.
“This is an unimaginable loss,” Thib said. “On behalf of the Ontario Provincial Police, I extend our deepest condolences to the families, loved ones and the community during this incredibly difficult time.”
Thib said an infant and four adults in the van were seriously injured, along with the the driver of the SUV. They are all in hospital.
Five children ranging from four to 12 years old are dead after a two-vehicle collision on Friday evening in Mapleton Township, northwest of Kitchener, Ont. An infant is among six people hospitalized with serious injuries, OPP Supt. Dwight Thib told reporters.
At least three people were airlifted to multiple 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.
The OPP Traffic Incident Management Enforcement team has been called in, and the traffic will be rerouted around the area while the investigation continues.
The intersection will be closed for most of Saturday, officers added.
Police said they are not releasing further details as the investigation is ongoing.
Loss felt across communities, says Mapleton mayor
Gregg Davidson, mayor of Mapleton Township, said the crash is “devastating.”
He said the road where the collision happened is a major part of the community network and gets a lot of traffic from people heading to their cottages. He said the area is flat and that particular crossroads is not usually an issue.
Davidson said the communities in Mapleton and Elmira are very close, as the towns are “right next door” to each other.
“[Community members] are family people, they’re loving people. They will support each other as much as possible at all times,” Davidson told CBC News.
Chris Harrow, Mapleton fire chief, said many families in the rural farming town have been there for generations, so the community will feel the loss.
“It does take a toll on a whole community, because it’s small and people look after each other here,” he said. On behalf of the fire department, Harrow expressed condolences to the families affected by the crash.
“It’s just a horrific day, and we hope that they can find the strength to get through it,” he said.
In a social media post on Saturday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said his thoughts were with those involved who are in the hospital and with the children’s families and loved ones.
“This heartbreaking loss is being felt across the community and the entire province,” he said.
