A 78-year-old Winnipeg woman is dead after she was struck by a train at a railway crossing in rural Manitoba Sunday afternoon.
Steinbach RCMP confirmed the death in a news release Monday morning.
At about 12:40 p.m., officers responded to a report of a pedestrian being struck by a train at a railway crossing on Principale Street in La Broquerie, Mounties said.
The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
Steinbach RCMP and CN Rail are investigating the incident.
No other details were released by Mounties.
The tragedy struck during the community’s annual Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day celebration.
“Everybody was there, unfortunately. A lot of young kids were around, so it was pretty tough on everybody. It will be very tough on the school tomorrow,” RM of La Broquerie Reeve Ivan Normandeau told the Free Press on Sunday.
“It’s just a tragic accident.”
La Broquerie, a Francophone community, is located roughly 60 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg.
The parade began around 11:40 a.m. and was just coming to an end when the collision occurred. At no point did the parade route cross over the railway lines, Normandeau said.
The lights and crossing arms controlling the rail line were active and functioning properly when the victim attempted to pass over a sidewalk that intersects with the tracks. The sidewalk does not have crossing arms, he said.
CN Rail owns the rail line, which intersects the middle of the community at Principale. Trains often travel through town faster than people expect, Normandeau said.
“It was supposed to be a nice day, a nice parade and event going on… Right now, people are still in shock.”
The local fire department posted a phone number for mental health supports on its Facebook page Sunday afternoon, saying, “If anyone needs to talk or has concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out.”
The Free Press has reached out to CN for further comment.
fpcity@freepress.mb.ca