In a show of support for the Humboldt Broncos hockey team which suffered a horrific loss on Friday, members of the community gathered at the Kamsack Cenotaph to hold a candlelight vigil.
Mayor Nancy Brunt organized and led the vigil on Sunday at 7 p.m. that coincided with similar vigils being held simultaneously across Canada to honour those who lost their lives in a tragic accident involving the Broncos’ bus and a transport truck.
A crowd of approximately 170 people gathered at the Cenotaph to light candles, join in prayer, share personal stories and find comfort in the midst of a tragedy that has impacted people around the world.
As news reports across Canada and internationally have said, hockey is a sport that figures prominently in the province of Saskatchewan, and many people can relate to the bus trips and long hours spent at the rinks, but a tragedy of this magnitude is overwhelming.
David Kory and his family of Kamsack have been directly impacted by the tragedy; his cousin Layne Matechuk, Humboldt Broncos defenceman, was riding on the Broncos bus and was in serious but stable condition at Saskatoon’s Royal University Hospital.
News reports say that George Matechuk, Layne’s grandfather, said Layne was in a coma with severe head and upper body injuries and described his condition as “very serious, but stable.”
“There have been 15 confirmed deaths and 14 injuries as a result of the devastating crash between the Broncos bus, carrying 29 people, most of whom were members of the hockey team, and a semi-trailer truck, and we will now read each of their names,” said Brunt, during the vigil.
Mark Foster, a parent who has been heavily involved with hockey, and Louise Sumner read the names of each of those who were killed on Friday.
On Friday at 5 p.m. a charter bus carrying 29 people was heading toward the town of Nipawin where the Humboldt Broncos were scheduled to play Game 5 of a semi-final series, according to a release from the RCMP.
The team’s bus was T-boned by a transport tuck as it was heading northbound on Highway No. 35. The truck was traveling westbound on Highway No. 335. The driver of the truck was not injured in the crash, said the release.
Premier Scott Moe issued a release on behalf of a grieving province, and thanked the first responders and medical professionals for “their courageous response under the most difficult circumstances imaginable.
“To the City of Humboldt, the entire Broncos organization, and the families impacted by this tragedy, please know you are in Saskatchewan’s hearts,” he said.
