Three teenaged boys were killed in an automobile crash in central New Brunswick early Sunday, the principal of the local school says.
Rodney Buggie, principal at Blackville School, said two of the boys were in Grade 12 and the other graduated in June.
By early Sunday afternoon, the RCMP had yet to release their names or any details surrounding the early morning crash on Route 8, which is the main street through Blackville.
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“Everybody knows everybody here,” Buggie said in an interview.
“We’re a K-to-12 school and all those boys would have attended kindergarten to Grade 12. Every teacher knew them … I knew them all very well.”
The village is about 40 kilometres southwest of Miramichi, N.B., and home to about 950 people.
Jake Stewart, the area’s representative in the provincial legislature, issued a statement Sunday asking residents to keep the victims’ families in their thoughts and prayers.
“I’m shocked and saddened to learn of yet another tragedy here in our home community,” said Stewart, who had been campaigning for re-election until Saturday. Voting day is Monday.
“It is important that all local candidates refrain from campaigning out of respect for the families.”
Buggie said the school, which has 348 students, would be opened Sunday afternoon to offer grief counselling to local residents.
“Our staff will be there along with counsellors from our school district,” Buggie said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2020.