At least eight people were rushed to a Winnipeg hospital after a “mass casualty event” in Hollow Water First Nation on Thursday.
Multiple patients with varying levels of injuries are being taken by air and land to the emergency room at Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre, a spokeperson for Manitoba Shared Health told CBC News.
STARS helicopters airlifted two people, while six others are being taken by road.
A code orange alert was issued for the hospital shortly after receiving reports of a “mass casualty” event in the First Nation, said the spokesperson for Shared Health, which runs the hospital.
A code orange is called when a hospital needs to prepare for a potential sudden influx of patients.
Manitoba RCMP had warned the public of a heavy police presence in the First Nation, on east shore of Lake Winnipeg about 160 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, earlier on Thursday morning.
Officers from several RCMP detachments and specialized units were dispatched after a “serious incident” happened sometime before 8:30 a.m. Thursday, police said in a news release.
No further details about what happened have been shared at this time, but Mounties had said there is no risk to public safety and they are expected to be in the community through the day.
Highway 304 is closed in both directions south Black River First Nation, about 40 km south of Hollow Water, in connection with the incident, RCMP said.
