In the village of Amqui in eastern Quebec, two men died on Monday after a pickup vehicle crashed into some pedestrians by the side of the road.
But, a top Canadian official quickly ruled out any connection to terrorism or a national security event.
Nine additional people were hurt, including two who had what is deemed significant injuries, according to a provincial police spokesman.
The 38-year-old driver, a resident, reportedly surrendered to police and was detained on suspicion of performing a fatal hit-and-run, according to Sgt. Hélène St-Pierre.
The incident was not connected to terrorism or national security, according to a senior government official with knowledge of the situation.
Due to their lack of authority to speak in public about the situation, the official said on the condition of anonymity.
The authorities had given no motive.
The two fatalities, according to St-Pierre, were both men, one in his 60s and the other in his 70s. According to her, two injured had critical injuries, while the other seven were being examined.
According to St-Pierre, accident reconstruction specialists and investigators are attempting to determine what caused the collision.
Everything suggests that the incident was isolated, that the region is safe, and that there is only one suspect, she stated.
The incident occurred shortly after 3 o’clock at Amqui, a town located about 350 kilometers (220 miles) northeast of Quebec City, along St-Benoit Boulevard.
According to the regional health board, the Amqui hospital had a “code orange” proclaimed, which usually denotes a situation with significant casualties.
Perhaps four or possibly five persons were being cared for by multiple ambulances over a 500-meter area, according to truck driver Alain Gilbert (yards).
He observed a policeman doing CPR on a victim lying motionless on the ground. He claimed that no children appeared to be present among the bunch.
According to police, a guy operating a city bus struck a childcare facility in Laval, Quebec, last month, killing two children.
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