One dead, six injured in Canada stabbing

Montreal: A mass stabbing in an Indigenous community in central Canada killed one person and forced six others to the hospital on Thursday, federal police said, adding the suspect also died in the incident.

The violence occurred in Hollow Water First Nation, a remote community with about 1,000 residents, 217 kilometers north of Manitoba’s provincial capital, Winnipeg, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told AFP in an email.

“We can confirm that at least six victims have been transported to hospital and one victim is deceased,” the RCMP said.

“The suspect is also deceased,” the force added.

Investigators were “gathering information to determine what exactly occurred,” the RCMP further said.

In 2022, 11 people were killed and 18 injured in a remote Indigenous community in the neighboring province of Saskatchewan.

The killings in the James Smith Cree Nation and nearby village of Weldon prompted a national inquiry and brought renewed attention the prevalence of crime impacting Canada’s First Nations.

Indigenous people represent five percent of Canada’s population of 41 million, but statistics show they are disproportionately affected by violent crime, including homicide.