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15 Dead in Canadian Bus Crash Involving Humboldt Broncos Junior Hockey Team

There have been 15 fatalities and a number of injuries in an accident Friday involving a junior hockey team bus in Saskatchewan. 

Charlotte Carroll

KYMBER RAE

A bus crash involving a junior hockey team in Saskatchewan, Canada, on Friday night has resulted in 15 deaths, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

The original death toll was at 14 but police confirmed another death later Saturday. There were 15 people originally sent to the hospital following the accident. There were 29 people on the bus at the time of the collision. 

The team's head coach Darcy Haugan is reportedly among the dead, with his wife Christina George-Haugan confirming his death to The Canadian Press. Condolences and tributes soon poured in across social media, including from his sister on Twitter. 

Team captain Logan Schatz is also reportedly among the dead, with family members confirming his death to The Canadian Press. He was 20. 

Jaxon Joseph, son of former NHL defenseman Chris Joseph, is also among the dead, according to Sportsnet Canada. His former team also tweeted out the news. 

A semi-trailer reportedly T-boned a passenger bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos about 18 miles north of Tisdale, Saskatchewan. Of the 14 survivors taken to the hospital, three are in critical condition.

The cause of the crash was not yet known, and the driver of the semi-trailer was not killed. 

The Broncos were scheduled to play the Nipawin Hawks in the fifth game of their playoff series on Friday night, but the Hawks Facebook page announced the game was canceled due to the accident involving the Broncos team bus. 

Humboldt is part of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, which is open to players 20 years or younger, according to CTV News.

Broncos president Kevin Garinger released this statement on the team's website, “Our thoughts and prayers are extended to the families of our staff and athletes as well as to all who have been impacted by this horrible tragedy. Our Broncos family is in shock as we try to come to grips with our incredible loss.”

The father of one of the surviving players posted a photo of the teammates holding hands in the hospital.

One mother, Michelle Straschnitzki, posted on Facebook that her son was in the hospital. 

She told The Globe and Mail that she talked to him, but "he said he couldn't feel his lower extremities, so (she doesn't) know what's going on."

A GoFundMe page started by a Humboldt resident has raised over $1 million with the money going to families at the appropriate time. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and others posted their condolences. 

Maple Leafs player and Saskatchewan native Tyler Bozak said "it's tragic."

The crash brought back memories of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos fatal crash in Saskatchewan, which killed four members of the team.

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Charlotte Carroll
CHARLOTTE CARROLL

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