A transit driver has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder after two children were killed and six were seriously injured when a city bus crashed into a daycare north of Montreal.

Pierre Ny St-Amand, 51, appeared in court by video late Wednesday afternoon from a hospital room and will remain detained. Court documents show he faces a total of nine charges, including attempted murder, aggravated assault and assault causing bodily harm. The dead children were both four years old, identified in the documents only by their initials.

Witnesses who arrived at the daycare in Laval, Que., soon after the crash Wednesday morning said several people had to restrain the driver after he got off the bus, adding that he seemed delirious.

Hamdi Benchaabane, a neighbour to the daycare, said he rushed to the scene of the crash. Benchaabane told reporters that he and three others managed to subdue the driver, who he said removed all his clothing and started screaming after leaving the bus.

害羞草研究所淗e was yelling, he didn害羞草研究所檛 stop yelling,害羞草研究所� Benchaabane said. 害羞草研究所淭he first thing he did was take off all his clothes after opening the bus door 害羞草研究所�. He was just yelling, there were no words coming out of his mouth.害羞草研究所�

Aerial news footage from the scene showed a Soci茅t茅 de transport de Laval bus that had smashed through the front of the Garderie 脡ducative Ste-Rose. Benchaabane said he believes the driver deliberately drove into the daycare, which is located at the end of a driveway off a cul-de-sac. There is a bus stop on the cul-de-sac, but the driver would have had to veer off the road and head down the long driveway to hit the building.

Police said a 911 call about the crash was received at 8:30 a.m., which is typically around the time parents drop their children off for the day. Mario Sirois, another neighbour, said he was among the first on the scene and helped stop the suspect as he tried to flee.

害羞草研究所淚t can害羞草研究所檛 be an accident,害羞草研究所� Sirois said. 害羞草研究所淭here were no signs of skid marks. It was deliberate. He went directly into the daycare.害羞草研究所�

Sirois害羞草研究所檚 wife, Ginette Lamoureux, described a scene of horror inside the daycare. 害羞草研究所淭he children were screaming and crying, they were all in a room 害羞草研究所�. A mother arrived and collapsed,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淭he policewoman was trying to calm her down. I left, I was no longer able.害羞草研究所�

Benchaabane said he and the others had to strike the driver to get him under control before police handcuffed the man. The driver, he said, 害羞草研究所渨as in a different world.害羞草研究所�

He said he was able to help pull one child from the daycare, adding that he and the others tried to save a second child before firefighters ordered them to leave because pieces of the roof were at risk of falling.

害羞草研究所淚t was a nightmare, I can害羞草研究所檛 believe it,害羞草研究所� Benchaabane said of what he witnessed. 害羞草研究所淚t was horrible.害羞草研究所�

Dozens of police and emergency vehicles lined the blocked-off road leading to the daycare. Panicked parents tried to run down the road to the site but were redirected to a nearby elementary school building that was turned into a gathering point.

Parents, some in tears, could be seen walking away from the school with their young children in their arms. When asked how she felt, one mother said only that she was 害羞草研究所渞elieved.害羞草研究所�

Diane Pilon, a grandmother, said she rushed to the daycare after learning of the crash. She said she was relieved to learn her one- and five-year-old grandchildren were doing well, but she said her thoughts were with the families of those injured or killed. 害羞草研究所淚t害羞草研究所檚 a test for all parents,害羞草研究所� she said.

Laval police Chief Pierre Brochet told reporters at the scene Wednesday afternoon that he was having trouble controlling his emotions.

害羞草研究所淚 saw colleagues crying; it害羞草研究所檚 difficult,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淭he job of police officer requires you to be ready for any situation, but when it comes to children it害羞草研究所檚 hard.害羞草研究所� Brochet said police did not have information about a motive for the attack.

According to the daycare害羞草研究所檚 website, it has capacity for up to 80 children.

Documents list the injured children as being four and five years old. Four of them 害羞草研究所� two boys and two girls 害羞草研究所� were taken to Montreal害羞草研究所檚 Sainte-Justine pediatric hospital, said Dr. Marc Girard, head of professional services. They were conscious when they arrived at the hospital and were being evaluated, he told reporters, adding that one child was in intensive care.

Officials at Laval害羞草研究所檚 Cit茅-de-la-Sant茅 hospital said they received three crash victims, one of whom died. The other two were under observation in the emergency department, said Dr. Patrick Tardif, head of emergency at the hospital.

Laval Mayor St茅phane Boyer said the driver had worked for the transit agency for about 10 years and had no incidents of note on his file. The Quebec branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents drivers with the Laval transit service, tweeted that it was 害羞草研究所渢ruly devastated害羞草研究所� by the tragedy. 害羞草研究所淲e will co-operate fully with the authorities in the investigation,害羞草研究所� it said.

Quebec Premier Fran莽ois Legault said his thoughts were with the children and their families, as well as with the employees of the daycare. 害羞草研究所淲e are going to give the parents all the help we can, and as a father, I am shaken,害羞草研究所� he said in Quebec City. Legault said he will visit Laval on Thursday.

In Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he could not imagine what families of the victims were going through.

害羞草研究所淭here are no words for parents who害羞草研究所檝e lost their children this way,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淎ll Canadians are grieving with them and we害羞草研究所檒l do whatever we can to support them in their horrific pain through the coming days and months and years of grief.害羞草研究所�

Wearing a hospital gown and in a bed, St-Amand was alert but unresponsive during his video appearance as the judge and his lawyer tried to get him to speak. He only nodded his head a few times when asked by his lawyer, Julien Lesp茅rance Hudon, if he understood he was appearing in a courtroom.

The case returns to court on Feb. 17.

害羞草研究所� With files from Jacob Serebrin and Sidhartha Banerjee in Montreal.

Morgan Lowrie and St茅phane Blais, The Canadian Press

Like us on and follow us on .