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A van carrying a high school boys' basketball team home from a game was only five minutes from their waiting parents when it fish-tailed on a slippery highway and slammed into a truck, killing seven players and an adult.
Emily Cleland, sister of victim Nathan Cleland, said some parents had gathered at a fast-food restaurant to pick up their children when they got a call to go to the hospital.
"He was my best friend, my whole life," Cleland said of her brother. "He was always so protective of me."
The Bathurst High Phantoms were returning from a game in Moncton, N.B., about 220 kilometres away, when the accident occurred on Highway 8 outside Bathurst shortly after midnight.
The force of the collision sliced open one side of the large white van and ejected benches and people everywhere. Hours later, the benches still lay strewn in the snow.
"When members arrived at the scene, all eight were dead -- there was nothing we could do," RCMP Sgt. Derek Strong said during a news conference later.
"This was a very, very major impact."
Strong said the road was icy at the time and the van's driver -- a teacher at the school and also the team's coach -- lost control.
The driver survived but his wife was killed.
Strong said officers who went to the accident scene were shaken by what they saw.
"Police officers go to a lot of accident scenes but this one was above and beyond anything any of us are used to," he said.
Twelve people were in the vehicle when it veered across the centre line and hit the truck. The van was equipped with seatbelts but investigators didn't know if they were used.
Lydia Dupere, a spokeswoman for the Acadie-Bathurst Health Authority, said three people were still in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A fourth person had been treated for injuries and released.
The truck driver wasn't hurt.
It had been snowing for most of the day in the Bathurst area, followed by a mix of snow and ice pellets, according to Environment Canada's website.
Names of the victims were not released.
Cleland said her brother had just turned 17 and was a point guard who averaged 20 points a game.
"He loved life and loved living it to its fullest," she said. "He was such a funny and great guy. He loved any sport but he really loved basketball. He's been playing since he was four."
School superintendent John McLaughlin said students, parents and teachers began gathering at Bathurst High at 4 a.m.
"This is a whole community in mourning," he said in an interview. "It's unthinkable what happened and everyone's trying to make some sense of it."
Condolences were being posted on the school's website from people across the country, while a Facebook site set up to remember those killed had 160 members by mid-morning.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper sent a letter of condolence to the school's principal, Coleen Ramsay.
"The sudden loss of eight people in this unthinkable accident shocked the nation and all Canadians join you in mourning their passing," it said.
"As a father, I particularly grieve with the parents who have lost their children. The seven promising young students will be missed dearly by their loved ones, fellow students, and the wider community of Bathurst."
Emily Cleland, sister of victim Nathan Cleland, said some parents had gathered at a fast-food restaurant to pick up their children when they got a call to go to the hospital.
"He was my best friend, my whole life," Cleland said of her brother. "He was always so protective of me."
The Bathurst High Phantoms were returning from a game in Moncton, N.B., about 220 kilometres away, when the accident occurred on Highway 8 outside Bathurst shortly after midnight.
The force of the collision sliced open one side of the large white van and ejected benches and people everywhere. Hours later, the benches still lay strewn in the snow.
"When members arrived at the scene, all eight were dead -- there was nothing we could do," RCMP Sgt. Derek Strong said during a news conference later.
"This was a very, very major impact."
Strong said the road was icy at the time and the van's driver -- a teacher at the school and also the team's coach -- lost control.
The driver survived but his wife was killed.
Strong said officers who went to the accident scene were shaken by what they saw.
"Police officers go to a lot of accident scenes but this one was above and beyond anything any of us are used to," he said.
Twelve people were in the vehicle when it veered across the centre line and hit the truck. The van was equipped with seatbelts but investigators didn't know if they were used.
Lydia Dupere, a spokeswoman for the Acadie-Bathurst Health Authority, said three people were still in hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A fourth person had been treated for injuries and released.
The truck driver wasn't hurt.
It had been snowing for most of the day in the Bathurst area, followed by a mix of snow and ice pellets, according to Environment Canada's website.
Names of the victims were not released.
Cleland said her brother had just turned 17 and was a point guard who averaged 20 points a game.
"He loved life and loved living it to its fullest," she said. "He was such a funny and great guy. He loved any sport but he really loved basketball. He's been playing since he was four."
School superintendent John McLaughlin said students, parents and teachers began gathering at Bathurst High at 4 a.m.
"This is a whole community in mourning," he said in an interview. "It's unthinkable what happened and everyone's trying to make some sense of it."
Condolences were being posted on the school's website from people across the country, while a Facebook site set up to remember those killed had 160 members by mid-morning.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper sent a letter of condolence to the school's principal, Coleen Ramsay.
"The sudden loss of eight people in this unthinkable accident shocked the nation and all Canadians join you in mourning their passing," it said.
"As a father, I particularly grieve with the parents who have lost their children. The seven promising young students will be missed dearly by their loved ones, fellow students, and the wider community of Bathurst."
