Stabbings in Canada kill 10 and injure 15

At least 10 people were killed and 15 others injured in a series of stabbings in Canada's Saskatchewan Province on Sunday, The Canadian Press reported.

Police were looking for two suspects in Regina, where the tragedy happened in communities three hours north of the capital city.

At a news conference on Sunday afternoon, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Rhonda Blackmore said the dead and injured were found in 13 locations on the James Smith Cree Nation and in the village of Weldon, northeast of Saskatoon.

Some of the victims were targeted, while others were attacked at random, Blackmore said.

Weldon residents have identified one of the victims as Wes Petterson. Ruby Works said the 77-year-old widower was like an uncle to her.

"I collapsed and hit the ground. I've known him since I was just a little girl," she said, describing the moment she heard the news. She said he loved his cats, was proud of his homemade Saskatoon berry jam and frequently helped out his neighbors.

Weldon resident Robert Rush also described the victim as a gentle, widowed man in his 70s.

"He wouldn't hurt a fly," he said.

RCMP said they received a report that the two suspects, identified as Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson, may have been traveling in the Arcola Avenue area in Regina. They are considered armed and dangerous, and no information has so far been released about any potential motive.

A local state of emergency has been declared by the James Smith Cree Nation until the end of September in response to the mass casualties and critical incidents.

The alert first issued by the Melfort RCMP at about 7 am was extended hours later to cover Manitoba and Alberta, as the two suspects remained at large.

The Regina Police Service said in a news release that with the help of Mounties, it had "deployed additional resources for public safety throughout the city, including the football game at Mosaic Stadium".

A statement by Indigenous leaders indicated the attacks may have been drug related.

"This is the destruction we face when harmful illegal drugs invade our communities," the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations said.

James Smith Cree Nation is an Indigenous community with a population of about 3,400 people largely engaged in farming, hunting and fishing. Weldon is a village of some 200 people.

Agencies contributed to this story.