Three teenagers were killed in a car crash early Sunday in Blackville

Two of the victims were 12th graders at Blackville School, Buggy said. He said one was a recent graduate.

The New Brunswick RCMP posted just before 3am on Sunday that Highway 8 was closed due to traffic diversion after the New Year. No updates on crash or road closure provided.

Photos from the scene show the debris scattered on the road.

The small community of less than 1,000 is about 40 kilometers southwest of Miramichi.

The school will be open until 2 p.m., with councilors attending in support of students and community members, Buggy said.

“We are a small, rural area,” Buggy said. “Everyone knows everyone. It’s terrible.”

PC MLA Jake Stewart, who is in its riding community, said he heard the news early Sunday.

“It was really doomed,” he said. “These are good kids, I know families – very good people.

“People are really upset.”

Stewart was born and raised in Blackville and attended the same school as Victims. The accident happened a few houses away from the house where he grew up.

“Everyone has friends or relatives and people are really sad about this,” he said.

“At first people were really shocked and now they want to be supportive.”

Riding’s Liberal candidate Josh McCormack announced on Facebook that he plans to cancel all campaigns and social media posts.

“Unfortunately because it directly affected my family, there are no words to describe the pain and suffering we are experiencing,” he wrote.

People’s Alliance candidate Art O’Donnell asked community members to think about families, friends and first responders.

Stewart, who is bidding for re-election, ended his campaign on Saturday evening. But he said he would never continue in the wake of the accident.

There have been several fatal crashes in recent times

There have been a number of fatal accidents involving young people in the area in recent years.

A 15-year-old Miramichi resident died in an ATV accident on September 9th.

In April, four teenagers were killed when an SUV went off the road in Miramichi.

In 2018, a 14-year-old girl was killed when Blackville ided her dirt bike car.