7 Preschoolers Killed in Crash Near Montreal

ST.-JEAN-BAPTISTE-DE-NICOLET, Canada — Seven small children on a day-care outing were killed Thursday when the minivan in which they were riding swerved out of control and crashed into an oncoming vehicle.

The three other children in the van were hospitalized with serious head injuries, police said. The driver and an adult passenger suffered minor injuries.

The van was taking the preschoolers to the country to sample maple sugar when the crash occurred near here, about 70 miles north of Montreal. Police said the minivan swerved into the oncoming lane and was hit broadside. The accident happened about a mile from the day-care center.

Some of the children were thrown into a roadside field and were still there when some parents arrived. “It was a pretty horrible scene,” Quebec provincial police spokesman Daniel Lamirande said.

The victims ranged in age from 2 to 5 years old. Police said they did not know if the victims were wearing seat belts.

Wayne Kroeker, the driver of the other car, told TV station LCN that he saw the woman driving the minivan only at the last second.

“Then it was the shock of seeing the kids everywhere,” he said.

“Everyone will be saddened by this,” said Charles Dupuis, who lives in a farmhouse near the accident site. “Everyone knows each other here.”