Train crash during parade leaves one dead – Winnipeg Free Press

A cultural parade in a rural Manitoba town took a tragic turn Sunday afternoon when one person was struck and killed by a passing train.

La Broquerie Mayor Ivan Normandeau confirmed that the death occurred shortly before 1 p.m. as dozens of people gathered in the municipality for the annual Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day celebration.

“Unfortunately, everyone was there. A lot of young children were there, so it was pretty tough for everyone. It’s going to be very tough for the school tomorrow,” he said.

“It’s just a tragic accident.”

Although he has not been officially informed by the police or emergency services, Normandeau believes the victim is an elderly lady who does not live in La Broquerie.

There are few details about the cause of the accident, he said.

The RCMP and local fire department did not immediately respond to requests for comment Sunday.

La Broquerie, a French-speaking community, is located about 60 kilometres southeast of Winnipeg.

The parade began at about 11:40 a.m. and was just about to end when the collision occurred. At no point did the parade route cross the railroad tracks, Normandeau said.

The traffic lights and barriers controlling the tracks were on and working properly when the victim attempted to cross a sidewalk that crosses the tracks. The sidewalk has no barriers, he said.

CN Rail owns the rail line that crosses the community at Principale Street. Trains often travel through town faster than people expect, Normandeau said.

“It was supposed to be a beautiful day, a beautiful parade and event… Right now people are still in shock.”

The local fire department posted a phone number for psychological support on its Facebook page on Sunday afternoon, saying: “If anyone wants to talk or has any concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out.”

Provincial government traffic updates show that Principale St. (Highway 302) was closed from Highway 52 to Highway 210 on Sunday afternoon before reopening around 4:30 p.m.

The Free Press has contacted CN for further comment.

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Tyler Searle
reporter

Tyler Searle is a multimedia producer who works for the Free Presss city editorial team. As a graduate of the creative communication program at Red River College Polytechnic, he wrote for the Stonewall Teulon Tribune, Selkirk record And Express Weekly News before joining the paper in 2022. Read more about Tyler.

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