January 13, 2008	Sunday	Muharram 03, 1429

BATHURST (New Brunswick): Seven members of a Canadian high school boys’ basketball team and one adult woman were killed early Saturday morning when their van collided with a truck.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt.

Derek Strong said the players between the ages of 15 and 18 were pronounced dead at the crash site after their van crossed the centre line and hit the truck shortly after 12 am. “Most of the victims were ejected from the van when it struck the tractor-trailer. Of course that reduces the chances of survivability in any crash,” he said.

Strong said the accident occurred on Highway 11 as the team was returning from Moncton, New Brunswick with road conditions said to be slippery at the time.

Names of the victims have not been released.—AP