Officials on Sunday named Damien Sanderson and Myles Sanderson as the suspects. They were last seen travelling in a black Nissan Rogue and last spotted in the city of Regina, about 320 kilometres south of the attacks.

Police released photos and descriptions of the suspects but no further information.

“It appears that some of the victims may have been targeted, and some may be random. So to speak to a motive would be extremely difficult at this point in time,” Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan Royal Canadian Mounted Police, told a news conference.

There may be additional injured victims who transported themselves to various hospitals, police said.

The attacks took place in 13 locations, including the James Smith Cree nation and the city of Weldon, police said.
The stabbings were certain to reverberate throughout Canada, which is unaccustomed to bouts of mass violence more commonly seen across the southern border in the United States.

“There are no words to adequately describe the pain and loss caused by this senseless violence. All of Saskatchewan grieves with the victims and their families,” Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said on Twitter.

Police bulletins urged people to report any suspicious people and to take precautions including sheltering in place, while warning against picking up hitchhikers or approaching suspicious people.

A spokesman for the Saskatchewan Health Authority said the department had called for additional staff to help tend to victims.