Two children are dead and one has been taken to hospital after an incident at a family-owned farm in central Alberta Tuesday night.
RCMP said three sisters were playing on a truck loaded with canola at a rural property 15 kilometres east of Rocky Mountain House when they were buried by the seed in the truck.
Family and friends managed to pull the girls out of the grain but RCMP said two girls, sisters aged 11 and 13, were pronounced dead at the scene.
An 11-year-old girl was airlifted to the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton in critical condition.
Alberta Health Services confirmed emergency crews from Eckville and Rocky Mountain House were called to the rural property in Clearwater County just after 6 p.m.
“We will have debriefings with the emergency staff that attended and the family will be supported through the local community as well as the emergency services. We’ve had victims services involved, as well,” said Cpl. Wayne Howse with Rocky Mountain House RCMP.
It’s a very close-knit community and many of the first responders know the family.
“It’s extremely challenging. It’s all volunteer firefighters in this area so we certainly do know them,” said fire chief Cammie Laird with Clearwater Regional Fire Rescue Services.
“I’ve been here over 12 years and we’ve never had anything like this happen,” said Laird. “This will be challenging. It’s always more challenging where there’s youths involved.”
Rocky Mountain House is located about 80 kilometres west of Red Deer. (Caley Ramsay)
Link: http://globalnews.ca/news/2275246/2-young-girls-dead-1-critically-injured-in-alberta-farming-incident/
20
