The Duke of Cambridge has described the killing of 10 people in a series of stabbings in Canada as “truly heart-breaking”.

William said in a personal tweet that his thoughts and prayers were with the victims of these “horrific acts” in an indigenous community and a nearby town – one of the deadliest attacks in the nation’s history.

Authorities said some of the victims were targeted and others appeared to have been chosen at random on the James Smith Cree Nation and in the town of Weldon in Saskatchewan province on Sunday.

One of the suspects has been found dead, and his injuries are not self-inflicted, Canadian police said, after a massive manhunt for two perpetrators stretched into a second day.

His brother, also a suspect, may be injured and remains on the run.

The duke, a future king of Canada, said: “The attacks at James Smith Cree Nation and Weldon, Saskatchewan are truly heart-breaking.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of these horrific acts and all those that have lost loved ones.

“Catherine and I send our best wishes to the people of Canada.”

The message on the Cambridges’ Twitter account ended with W, denoting personal words from the duke.

Regina police chief Evan Bray said Damien Sanderson, 31, had been found dead and that they believe Myles Sanderson, 30, is in Regina, Saskatchewan.

The authorities have given no motive for the crimes, which also left 18 people injured, but a senior indigenous leader suggested drugs were somehow involved.

The stabbing attack was among the deadliest mass killings in Canada, where such crimes are less common than in the United States.

The deadliest gun rampage in Canadian history happened in 2020, when a man disguised as a police officer shot people in their homes and set fires across the province of Nova Scotia, killing 22 people.