Two officers with Correctional Service Canada (CSC) and an inmate in their custody were killed Thursday when their transport van was involved in a serious crash on a central Alberta highway.
In a news release Friday, Alberta RCMP revealed new details of the deadly crash which happened as the officers completed an inmate transfer from the Edmonton Institution for Women.
RCMP said the crash involved a CSC minivan and a box truck, at the intersection of Highway 13 and Highway 41, about 200 kilometres southeast of Edmonton.
Provost RCMP were called to the scene of the collision just before 11:30 a.m., police said.
All three occupants of the correctional van â a 57-year-old man from Sherwood Park, Alta., a 25-year-old woman from Winnipeg and a 24-year-old woman from North Battleford, Sask. â were declared dead at the scene.
The driver of the box truck, who was the lone occupant of that vehicle, was taken to a nearby hospital with minor injuries, RCMP said.
The cause of the collision remains under investigation. Officials have declined to provide further identifying details about the people who died, to clarify where the van was headed or how the inmate may have been restrained inside the vehicle.
The federal agency announced the deaths of the officers and a person they described as an offender in a social media post Thursday night.
In its initial statement, CSC had provided few details but described the incident as a “tragic accident.”
In a statement Friday, Talal Dakalbab, commissioner for Correctional Service of Canada, said the deaths have been felt deeply felt across the entire organization, particularly at the Edmonton Institution for Women and throughout the Prairie region.
“Our colleagues served Canadians with professionalism, dedication, and courage,” Dakalbab said in a statement provided by the RCMP Friday.
“Their commitment to public safety and to CSC’s mission leaves a lasting legacy, and we will ensure their invaluable contributions to our country are never forgotten.â
Officials with Alberta RCMP offered condolences to everyone affected by the tragedy including the loved ones of all three individuals whose lives were lost in the crash.
In a statement to CBC News Friday, officials with the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers said they are devastated by the tragic loss of two of its members.
The union said the officers were killed in a motor vehicle accident while performing an inmate escort from the Edmonton Institution for Women. The facility in the city’s west end that accommodates minimum-and medium-security inmates.
“Our thoughts, prayers, and deepest condolences are with their families, friends, co-workers, and everyone affected by this unimaginable tragedy,” the statement reads.
“These officers made the ultimate sacrifice while serving Canadians and ensuring the safety and security of our communities. Today, the entire correctional family is mourning their loss.”
Union officials said they will not speculate on the events that led to the crash, out of respect for an ongoing RCMP investigation and the victim’s families.
“We understand there are many questions, but it is essential that the investigative process be allowed to proceed without interference,” the statement reads.
“We ask Canadians to keep these families, their fellow correctional officers, and all those impacted by this tragedy in their thoughts during this incredibly difficult time.”
Condolences have also come in from agencies across the country as well as from Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
In a statement Friday, Carney said his thoughts are with their loved ones and those grieving the loss.
Poilievre wrote that he was “saddened” to learn of the correctional officers’ deaths and that they and their colleagues are owed “a debt of gratitude” for keeping Canadians safe.
