Canada mourns: 15 die when truck, hockey team bus collide

A semi-trailer slammed into a bus carrying a youth hockey team in western Canada, killing 15 people and injuring 14 in a catastrophic collision that a doctor compared to an airstrike and left the vehicles obliterated in the snow. The crash sent shockwaves through the team's small hometown and a country united by the national sport.

Emergency crews continue to block the highway on Saturday, April 7, 2018, near the area where a bus carrying a junior hockey team to a playoff game was struck by a semi Friday, north of Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Canada.  (Matt Smith/The Canadian Press via AP)

Emergency crews continue to block the highway on Saturday, April 7, 2018, near the area where a bus carrying a junior hockey team to a playoff game was struck by a semi Friday, north of Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Canada.  (Matt Smith/The Canadian Press via AP)

Canadians were moved to tears on Saturday as they learned of the identities of the deceased on the bus that was driving the Humboldt Broncos hockey team to a crucial playoff game Friday against the Nipawin Hawks.

"An entire country is in shock and mourning," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. "This is every parent's worst nightmare. No one should ever have to see their child leave to play the sport they love and never come back."

This image provided by 650 CKOM/980 CJME shows emergency crews responding to the scene where a bus carrying a junior hockey team to a playoff game was struck by a semi Friday, April 6, 2018, north of Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Canada. Police say there were 28 people, including the driver, on board the bus of the Humboldt Broncos team when the crash occurred around 5 p.m. Friday on Highway 35. (650 CKOM/980 CJME via AP)

A truck drives by the welcome sign honoring the members of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada, Saturday, April 7, 2018.(Liam Richards/The Canadian Press via AP)

The bus had 29 passengers, including the driver, when it crashed at about 5 p.m. on Highway 35, police said. Among the dead are Broncos head coach Darcy Haugan, team captain Logan Schatz and radio announcer Tyler Bieber. Authorities earlier said three were in critical condition but later provided an update to say that 15 have now died.

Canadian police said the truck driver was initially detained but has since been released and provided with mental health assistance. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Curtis Zablocki said it's too early to state a cause for the crash.

This Saturday, April 7, 2018 photo shows Elgar Petersen Arena, home of the Humboldt Broncos, in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada, Saturday, April 7, 2018.(Liam Richards/The Canadian Press via AP)

Emergency personnel work at the scene of a fatal crash outside of Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Canada, Saturday, April, 7, 2018. A bus en route to Nipawin, foreground, carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team crashed into a truck Friday night, killing 14 and sending over a dozen more to the hospital.(Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

In a tweet, U.S. President Donald Trump said he called Trudeau to offer his condolences to the families of victims.

Darren Opp, president of the Nipawin Hawks, said a semi T-boned the players' bus — an account police confirmed.

"It's a horrible accident, my God," Opp said.

Hassan Masri, an emergency room doctor at Saskatoon's Royal University Hospital who has done work in war-torn Syria, said the crash reminded him of an airstrike.

Emergency personnel work at the scene of a fatal crash outside of Tisdale, Saskatchewan, Canada, Saturday, April, 7, 2018. A bus, top, en route to Nipawin carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team crashed into a truck Friday night, killing 14 and sending over a dozen more to the hospital.(Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

This aerial photo shows the wreckage of a fatal crash outside of Tisdale, Saskatchewan on Saturday, April, 7, 2018.  (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

Photographs of the wreckage showed the twisted trailer with most of its wheels in the air and the bus on its side and its back portion destroyed. The force of the crash sent both vehicles into the ditch at the northwest corner of the intersection.

Aerial footage showed the bus on its side, its roof peeled back and its front end destroyed. The trailer of the truck lay nearby in a shattered mess, with bags of its peat moss cargo scattered all around. The tractor part of the truck was intact, lying on its passenger side.

The tractor-trailer would have had to yield to a stop sign before crossing over the highway that the hockey bus was travelling on. There is a stand of trees on the southeast corner of the intersection, limiting visibility of the approach on both roads.

This aerial photo shows the wreckage of a fatal crash outside of Tisdale, Saskatchewan on Saturday, April, 7, 2018. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

The wreckage of a fatal crash outside of Tisdale, Sask., is seen Saturday, April, 7, 2018. A bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos hockey team crashed into a truck en route to Nipawin for a game Friday night killing 14 and sending over a dozen more to the hospital. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP)

Police said a lot of issues have to be investigated, including weather conditions at the time and any mechanical issues with the vehicles.

The tragedy brought to mind an accident in 1986, when the Swift Current Broncos team bus slid off an icy highway and crashed in late December, killing four players.

The Humboldt Broncos are a close-knit team from the small city of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, which has a population of about 6,000. Many gathered at the community center at the hockey arena there after word of the horrific crash began to circulate.

Bill Chow, President of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, speaks during a press conference at the Elgar Petersen Arena in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, on Saturday, April 7, 2018. (Liam Richards/The Canadian Press via AP)

Rob Muench, Mayor of Humboldt, speaks during a press conference at the Elgar Petersen Arena in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, on Saturday, April 7, 2018.  (Liam Richards/The Canadian Press via AP)

Humboldt Mayor Rob Muench, wearing a green and yellow Broncos team jersey, hugged people Saturday morning as they came to the Elger Petersen Arena in the Saskatchewan town to comfort each other and learn more.

"It's overwhelming. It's been tough on everybody," Muench said in a phone interview. "We're a small community; some of those kids have been on the team for a number of years. A lot grew up in the community and everybody knows each other."

The team was on its way to play in Game 5 of a semi-final against the Nipawin Hawks.

"Hockey was what brought us all together and we had two communities that were rivals in the rink. To find out that it was their first responders that aided our boys just warms your heart," the mayor said as his voice cracked.

Community members listen during a press conference at the Elgar Petersen Arena in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, on Saturday, April 7, 2018. (Liam Richards/The Canadian Press via AP)

Curtis Zablocki, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner, speaks during a press conference at the Elgar Petersen Arena in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, on Saturday, April 7, 2018.  (Liam Richards/The Canadian Press via AP)

Multiple crisis workers were assisting relatives and friends.

"Everybody is just so devastated. These poor young boys," said Penny Lee, the communications manager for the town of Humboldt.

The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League is a junior 'A' hockey league under Hockey Canada, which is part of the Canadian Junior Hockey League. It's open to North American-born players between the ages of 16 and 20.

A memorial at the stairs that lead to Elgar Petersen Arena is shown in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, on Saturday, April 7, 2018. Ro (Liam Richards/The Canadian Press via AP)

A memorial at the stairs that lead to Elgar Petersen Arena is shown in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, on Saturday, April 7, 2018.(Liam Richards/The Canadian Press via AP)

Team President Kevin Garinger said parents from across western Canada were struggling to cope with the tragedy and were rushing to the scene.

"We are heartbroken and completely devastated," Garinger said. "We will never forget the members of our Broncos family who were taken from us and who were injured."

Michelle Straschnitzki, who lives in Airdrie, Alberta, said her 18-year old son Ryan was transported to a hospital in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

"We talked to him, but he said he couldn't feel his lower extremities so I don't know what's going on," she said. "I am freaking out. I am so sad for all of the teammates and I am losing my mind."

Kevin Henry, a coach who runs a hockey school in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, said he knows players on the team.

A memorial at the stairs that lead to Elgar Petersen Arena is shown in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, on Saturday, April 7, 2018. (Liam Richards/The Canadian Press via AP)

Steve Hogle, President of the Saskatoon Blades places flowers at a memorial at the stairs that lead to Elgar Petersen Arena in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, on Saturday, April 7, 2018.  (Liam Richards/The Canadian Press via AP)

"This is I would think one of the darkest days in the history of Saskatchewan, especially because hockey is so ingrained in how we grow up here," he said.

The hockey world issued messages of condolences, including Saskatchewan native Mike Babcock, who is the Toronto Maple Leafs coach.

Babcock, fighting back tears, said that "it's got to rip the heart out of your chest."

The Chicago Blackhawks and Winnipeg Jets wore the name "BRONCOS" instead of their nameplates on Saturday night.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — One of the two pilots of a vintage military plane that was delivering heating oil to a remote Alaska Native village reported a fire on board shortly before the aircraft crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both of them and leaving debris over a wide area, a federal transportation official said Wednesday.

The pilot made radio contact about the in-flight emergency shortly after taking off Tuesday, said Clint Johnson, head of the National Transportation Safety Board’s Alaska regional office. They were attempting to return to Fairbanks International Airport when they lost contact, he said.

The C54D-DC airplane — a military version of the World War II-era Douglas DC-4 aircraft — crashed about 7 miles (11 kilometers) outside Fairbanks. It hit a steep hill, slid down an embankment to the bank of the Tanana River and burst into flames. No survivors were found, according to Alaska State Troopers.

Troopers said recovery efforts would resume Wednesday with the aid of cadaver dogs, but they noted that thin ice and open water on the river were making their efforts difficult. The pilots’ names have not been released.

The partial remains that have been recovered will be sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Anchorage for identification, troopers said.

The roughly 80-year-old plane departed Fairbanks just before 10 a.m., loaded with 3,200 gallons (12,100 liters) of heating oil destined for Kobuk, an Inupiat village of less than 200 people located about 300 miles (480 kilometers) northwest of Fairbanks.

Mike Emers was working in his office at Rosie Creek Farm, the only outdoor cannabis farm in Alaska, when he heard an explosion, looked out the window and saw the plane on fire.

“I knew it was going down. I just didn’t know where,” he said.

Video from farm security cameras showed the aircraft flying until one of its four engines — the one closest to the fuselage — exploded. The plane then banked and plummeted.

Emers tried to call 911 but couldn’t get through, so he instead reported it to the troopers’ dispatch line. He, his son and a neighbor went to the crash site, where they peered around the corner of an ice shelf and saw huge flames.

“You couldn’t recognize that it was a plane,” he said. “There was debris everywhere, and all the trees were torched, and there was fire everywhere.”

Upslope they came across more debris that he described as a mix of airplane parts, clothing and personal items. The fire was still burning above the plane, and Emers used his sweatshirt to beat at the flames to prevent them from spreading to more trees, fearing a forest fire could devastate the neighborhood. First responders arrived about 15 minutes later.

Another witness, Gary Contento, was sitting on his deck overlooking the river when he heard a loud explosion, followed by a second one. Looking for what caused the blasts, he saw a burning object on river ice.

“I assumed right off the bat that it was an engine, because it was flaming away,” he said.

He watched for a minute or two as a smoke plume rose into the air, and “then a fireball to beat all fireballs went off.”

Johnson said that in addition to the heating oil, there were about 1,200 gallons of aviation fuel aboard the C54D-DC Skymaster plane.

It is difficult and expensive to get fuel to rural Alaska villages, which are remote and hard to reach because of the state’s limited road system. The Northwest Arctic Borough said heating fuel in Kobuk cost $15.45 a gallon in 2022.

The Alaska Energy Authority said barges usually deliver fuel to coastal communities. But in places where barges can’t run or it’s not economically feasible, air tankers will deliver fuel. And even that can be limited by sea or river ice, water levels or ice road availability.

The C54D-DC is a military version of the Douglas DC-4, a World War II-era aircraft. The planes aided the Berlin Airlift of 1948, when the U.S. and Britain flew food and fuel to Allied-controlled parts of the city after it was cut off by a Soviet blockade.

The plane that crashed Tuesday was built in Chicago around 1942 and saw service with the U.S. Army Air Force, the U.S. Navy and the Royal Air Force, before a California company took ownership in 1974, according to the Aerial Visuals Airframe Dossier website. It later was owned by companies in Arizona and Fairbanks, with Alaska Air Fuel taking it over in 2013. The plane was rebuilt between 2018 and 2020,

Alaska Air Fuel, which is based in Wasilla, has not responded to phone messages seeking comment.

The NTSB sent three investigators to the crash scene.

FILE - U.S. Air Force Skymasters line up at Tempelhof Airport, Berlin, Germany on July 7, 1948, to unload the first shipment of coal flown to blockaded Berlin. A Douglas C-54 Skymaster has crashed into the Tanana River outside Fairbanks, Alaska. The C-54 is a military version of the Douglas DC-4, which was a World War II-era airplane. The website www.airlines.net said standard passenger seating for a DC-4 was 44 during its heyday, but most have been converted to freighters. (AP Photo/Henry Burroughs, File)

FILE - A U.S. Air Force C-54 Skymaster comes in to land at Berlin's Templehoff Air Base as a group of blockaded Berliners watch on Aug. 10, 1948. A Douglas C-54 Skymaster has crashed into the Tanana River outside Fairbanks, Alaska, not pictured. The C-54 is a military version of the Douglas DC-4, which was a World War II-era airplane. The website www.airlines.net said standard passenger seating for a DC-4 was 44 during its heyday, but most have been converted to freighters. (AP Photo/Henry Burroughs, File)

A fire burns after a Douglas C-54 Skymaster plane crashed into the Tanana River outside Fairbanks, Alaska, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Michaela Matherne via AP)

Smoke rises after a Douglas C-54 Skymaster plane crashed into the Tanana River outside Fairbanks, Alaska, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. The plane took off in the morning from Fairbanks International Airport. It crashed about 7 miles (11 kilometers) from there and "slid into a steep hill on the bank of the river where it caught fire," according to Alaska State Troopers. (Gary Contento via AP)

A fire burns after a Douglas C-54 Skymaster plane crashed into the Tanana River outside Fairbanks, Alaska, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Alaska State Troopers via AP)

A fire burns after a Douglas C-54 Skymaster plane crashed into the Tanana River outside Fairbanks, Alaska, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Michaela Matherne via AP)

Smoke rises after a Douglas C-54 Skymaster plane crashed into the Tanana River outside Fairbanks, Alaska, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. The plane took off in the morning from Fairbanks International Airport. It crashed about 7 miles (11 kms.) from there and "slid into a steep hill on the bank of the river where it caught fire," according to Alaska State Troopers. (Gary Contento via AP)