Two children were killed and six others seriously injured after a city bus crashed into a daycare center in Laval, north of Montreal, Canada on Wednesday morning.

The incident occurred at the Garderie Educative Sainte-Rose on Dufferin Terrace in Laval's Sainte-Rose district, and the bus was from the Société de transport de Laval (STL), according to local authorities.

The driver of the bus, a 51-year-old man employed by the STL, was arrested and charged with homicide and dangerous driving, the police said.

Stéphane Boyer, the mayor of Laval, said the driver had been employed by the STL for about 10 years but didn't have any prior incidents on his record.

The incident happened at about 8:30 a.m. (1:30 GMT), when parents usually drop off by their kids at daycare centers.

"Everyone is terribly saddened by what has occurred," Quebec's Families Minister Suzanne Roy said. "When you leave your children at the daycare for the day, you know that they're in good hands ... when an event like that can happen, it shakes us and shatters us."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau later also said he was "devastated" by the accident, adding that he "can't imagine what the families are going through."

"No words can take away the pain and fear that parents, children and workers are feeling, but we are here for you," Trudeau said.

(With input from agencies)