Two children died and six others were injuredafter a bus plowed into a kindergarten in Quebec, Canadian police said.
The 51-year-old bus driver, who was an employee of the local public transport system, was arrested and charged with manslaughter and reckless driving.
Police told the BBC they were first called to the crash at around 08:30 local time on Wednesday.
The exact circumstances of the incident, which took place in the Montreal suburb of Laval, are not clear.
“We think it was deliberate, but we don’t know the motive,” said Pierre Brochet, Laval’s police chief.
One of the eyewitnesses, Hamdi Ben Shaaban, said that the driver got out of the bus after the crash, took off his clothes and began to behave erratically.
Some children were caught under the wheels of the vehicle, he said. “It was a nightmare. It’s horrible. He wouldn’t stop screaming. He wouldn’t say words.”
The daycare is located on a quiet cul-de-sac in Laval and police cordoned off the area Wednesday afternoon.
A crisis center has been set up nearby to help parents and families, the police said.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault told local media: “All my thoughts are with the children, with the parents and with the employees.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is from Montreal, said his thoughts “are with the families in Laval who are going through incredibly difficult times. We hope everyone will be fine“.
