Australian police said today (Monday) that a car hit Australian MP Helen Haines, seriously injuring her, and the driver was arrested, according to the Associated Press.
Victoria State Police reported that a 43-year-old man was arrested following the attack on Independent MP Haines in Wangaratta, which is located about a three-hour drive northeast of Melbourne.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Haines, 65, was airlifted to hospital.
At a press conference, Albanese said: “All our thoughts are with Helen, her family, friends, team and community at this very difficult time. We pray for her speedy and complete recovery,” according to Reuters.
For his part, Ashley Mason, Acting Superintendent of Victoria Police, stated during a press conference that there is no additional threat to the public.
Albanese indicated that it was too early to determine the motive behind the attack, explaining that an anti-terrorism task force would investigate the arrested suspect.
“We are grateful for the quick assistance provided by passers-by, to the health workers who cared for her, and to the police for their response,” said a statement issued by Haines’ family, posted on her Facebook page.
Canadian officials said yesterday, Sunday, that a fire that killed four Canadian soldiers and left 19 people in critical conditions began with a slow fire burning in grass in a training area at a military base in Alberta, where personnel were conducting training, and quickly expanded in scope.
Officials said that 39 people were receiving treatment in hospitals as a result of the fire at the Canadian military base, Wainwright, which Prime Minister Mark Carney described as one of the worst tragedies witnessed by the Canadian Armed Forces on the country's soil in peacetime.
Major General Wade Rutland told reporters during a press conference that winds reaching speeds of 96 kilometers per hour contributed to fueling the fire that broke out at approximately 4 p.m. (22:00 GMT) on Saturday, but the wind speed was less than 50 kilometers per hour before the fire broke out.
Rutland described the sudden strong winds and the resulting spread of the fire as an “unusual and rapid” event, in which the flames advanced a kilometer, within between 30 and 60 seconds.
“I certainly have never seen anything like this before,” said Rutland, commander of the 1st Canadian Division, which is based in Edmonton, about 210 kilometers west of the military site, according to Reuters.
Officials identified the dead as Sergeant Morgan Wong, Private Sean Farrell, Private Aidan Golding, and Private Hayden Lakemark.
He said: “The country is entering a state of mourning for the brave members of our armed forces who we lost,” adding that he issued his orders to fly flags at half-staff on federal buildings throughout the country. In honor of the victims.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said that many of those infected will need “weeks and months” of specialized and intensive medical care.
Rutland said that when the fire broke out, 85 soldiers were conducting “high-intensity” combat training using live ammunition at the base located in the plains area. The soldiers were preparing to deploy to Latvia, where Canadian forces are currently carrying out their largest international military operations.
Rutland confirmed that the investigation into the incident is still ongoing, and refused to speculate on the causes of the grass fire. He added that officials do not believe that the extensive oil and gas infrastructure in the region has any connection to the incident, also ruling out “any external interference.”
There are 1,310 military and civilian personnel stationed at Canadian Military Base Wainwright, according to 2021 census data. The base is home to the Canadian Maneuver Training Center, which organizes scenarios and training for the military.
Carney said those affected by Saturday's fire came from military bases across the country.
Carney said that military and civilian firefighting teams battled the fire throughout the night in “some of the worst conditions imaginable.”
Smith said 22 ground ambulances and eight air ambulances responded to the incident. She indicated that those infected are currently receiving treatment in Edmonton, Wainwright, Calgary and Red Deer.
Military search and rescue technicians also parachuted to the site, Rutland said.
Health officials in Edmonton said they had declared an “orange” emergency, which indicates a mass casualty event; To coordinate the medical response to patients transferred from Wainwright.
The town of Wainwright, with a population of about 6,600, is located just north of the base.
The municipality posted on social media platforms that the fire had exceeded the base fence and spread to a neighboring area, but no evacuation orders were issued. She said on Sunday that the fire was not expected to spread beyond its current boundaries.
Two people, including a six-year-old child, were killed, and ten others were injured after a truck stormed a football field during a youth match in the city of Wichita, Kansas, on Saturday, in an accident that sparked a state of shock among families who were watching their children during the competitions.
According to Reuters, the American police announced that the two victims were a six-year-old child and a 35-year-old man, who died at the scene of the accident, while ten injured people were taken to hospitals with varying injuries, ranging from minor to serious, with no indications that any of them were life-threatening.
Wichita Police Captain Aaron Moses explained during a press conference that a 34-year-old woman was driving the truck that ended up inside one of the stadiums located on the western side of the Stryker Sports Complex, noting that she is cooperating with investigators and is currently in detention.
The police confirmed that the injured included two five-year-old children, two eight-year-old children, and a nine-year-old child, along with five adults, while another adult was taken to the hospital for medical reasons not related to direct injuries resulting from the accident.
Initial investigations revealed that the truck driver had a child who was participating in football matches inside the sports complex, but he was not playing on the field that witnessed the accident, and two minors were on board the truck at the time it occurred.
Joe Sullivan, Wichita Police Chief, said that investigators were able to determine what happened, but work is still continuing to find out the reasons that led to the truck storming the stadium, stressing that the motives and circumstances of the accident have not yet become clear.
Emergency services began receiving reports at 3:25 p.m. on Saturday afternoon local time, as ambulance and police teams rushed to the sports complex to deal with the victims and injured.
For her part, Lily Wu, Mayor of Wichita, described the incident as a heartbreaking day for the city, explaining that families came to the sports complex to spend the afternoon watching their children play soccer, before the atmosphere turned into a tragedy that no one expected to happen.
