The Humboldt Broncos, the City of Humboldt and the RCMP held an emotional press conference on Saturday afternoon in the wake of a crash that killed more than a dozen people on the Broncos bus on Friday afternoon.
“We will never forget April 6, 2018. We will never forget the members of our Broncos family who were taken from us,” Humboldt Broncos president Kevin Garinger said. “We will preserver and we will honour the souls who were lost.”
The bus collided with a semi around 5 p.m. on the way to Nipawin for a game against the Nipawin Hawks. Of the 29 people who were on the bus, 14 were killed and 15 were taken to hospital in Saskatoon, some with critical injuries. The driver of the semi wasn’t injured.
During the press conference, the RCMP revealed that following the crash, the driver of the semi was detained by police as a procedural matter. He has since been released and has been offered mental health support.
“This is truly a dark moment for our city and our province. We’re overwhelmed with the outpouring of condolences we’ve received from the province and internationally,” said Humboldt mayor Rob Muench at the press conference.
Muench went on to say that he had spoken on the phone to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who offered his condolences as well as condolences from other world leaders, including US president Donald Trump.
Counselors are currently in place at the Uniplex Convention Centre in Humboldt and are available for anyone in the community that needs them.
A vigil will also be held at the Uniplex on Sunday night, instead of the sixth game in the series between the Broncos and the Hawks that was scheduled to be played.
