Eleven people have been arrested in B.C. as part of a child sex abuse investigation that spanned the country.

Arrests were made in Abbotsford, Delta, Richmond, Langley, Fort Saint John, Prince George, Oak Bay, Colwood, Victoria and two in Quesnel. Search warrants were also executed in New Westminster and Burnaby and Abbotsford that police said could lead to further arrests.

Names of the accused will not be released until charges are laid, police said.

Across Canada, a total of 57 people face more than 100 charges including possession and distribution of child pornography, making child pornography, sexual assault, and sexual interference, police said in Ottawa on Thursday.

The countrywide investigation focused on those involved in the creation and sharing of internet images of children being sexually abused.

It was one of Canada's largest criminal investigations, involving 30 police agencies from Vancouver Island to Nunavut to Newfoundland.

RCMP Constable Rosiane Racine said the images seized by police are very disturbing and the victims ranged in age from infants to teenagers.

"Child sexual abuse images are not just pictures. These are crime scene photos with real children, real victims. These children are victims of sexual abuse, rape, violence, torture and humiliation. The horror these children are going through can scar them for life," said Racine.

Saanich police Chief Derek Egan said police have already saved many children from further victimization and more arrests are coming, but would not publicly release any information about any of the victims.

"Our ultimate goal is to identify these children, and if they are in a contemporary position where they are subject to, or liable to be abused, to rescue them from those situations."