Elderly woman suffering flu-like symptoms dies on Via Rail passenger train

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle6797195/


Woman suffering flu-like symptoms dies on Via Rail passenger train
PARRY SOUND, Ont. — The Canadian Press
Published Saturday, Dec. 29 2012, 6:28 PM EST
Last updated Saturday, Dec. 29 2012, 6:33 PM EST

A woman was found dead on a Via Rail passenger train early Saturday morning.

The company says the Vancouver-to-Toronto train stopped near Parry Sound, Ont., because four passengers were showing flu-like symptoms.

Emergency crews boarded the train and confirmed that a woman described in a Via Rail news release as elderly had died...

[Treyfish]

Woman dies, three fall ill aboard Toronto-bound VIA Rail train

An elderly woman is dead and three other passengers were taken to hospital Saturday after developing flu-like symptoms on an eastbound VIA Rail train.

The train, headed to Toronto from Vancouver, was stopped in Parry Sound, Ont., for six hours starting at 5 a.m. after an 86-year-old woman was reported to be unconscious and unresponsive. Emergency crews boarded the train and confirmed the woman had died.

The two compartments occupied by the passengers were quarantined, and the train arrived in Toronto just before 4 p.m.

The train left Vancouver on Christmas Day. The woman who later died had boarded in Edmonton on Dec. 26 with two relatives.

Joanne Woodward, a spokeswoman for the Ontario Ministry of Health, said they are still awaiting test results to determine the cause of the illness. A post-mortem examination is expected Sunday.

more..

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/arti...via-rail-train

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Three other passengers were transported to hospital for treatment, Via Rail said in a statement.
All the passengers who were taken to hospital were not suffering from life-threatening illnesses, said Sgt. Rick MacKay from the West Parry Sound detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police.
The two rooms on the train that were occupied by the affected passengers were quarantined and will be sterilized, Via Rail said.
The train was delayed for several hours as authorities investigated.
The train left Vancouver on Dec. 25 and was scheduled to arrive in Toronto at 9:30 a.m. Saturday. It arrived in Toronto shortly before 4 p.m. Saturday.
The train had 200 passengers and 13 crew members onboard.
Health officials said it’s not believed that crew members or other passengers were exposed to those who were taken off the train.


Read more: http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/woman-w...#ixzz2GUtgA1ez

[Treyfish]

Train 2 was travelling eastbound through McDougall Township, approximately 250 km north of Toronto, when an 86-year-old woman was discovered “unconscious and unresponsive,” police said.

Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene. An autopsy is scheduled for Sunday.

Three other passengers taken to hospital for treatment, Via Rail said.

more...

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2...ml?cid=rssnews

[Treyfish]

Medical Emergency Onboard VIA Rail's Train number Two - Situation back to normal

Saturday, 29 December 2012
Version française

MONTREAL, December 29, 2012 -- At approximately 5 a.m. this morning, train 2 which was travelling between Vancouver and Toronto was delayed several hours near Parry Sound, Ontario, due to a medical emergency onboard the train. Four passengers were showing signs of flu-like symptoms. Local emergency services were dispatched and when they arrived on-site they confirmed an elderly woman had passed away. The other three passengers were detrained and transported to the hospital to be treated.

Additional information:
· Train 2 departed Vancouver on December 25th, at 20:30 and was scheduled to arrive in Toronto this morning at 9:30. As of 12:05, train 2 was on the move from Parry Sound and arrived in Toronto at 15:53 this afternoon, with a six hour delay.
· Train 2 had 200 passengers and 13 crew members onboard.
· In 2011, 109,000 passengers traveled on The Canadian.

The decision was made to quarantine the two rooms they were occupying. This is a standard procedure in events such as these and all VIA Rail employees implicated in this situation are fully cooperating with local authorities and are keeping passengers onboard the train informed.

First and foremost, safety and security is VIA Rail's priority for its passengers and personnel.

For any inquiries regarding the medical situation, please contact the media the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care media line at 1-416-314-6197.

For any questions related to OPP's involvement, please contact West Parry Sound OPP at 1-888-310-1122.http://www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-r...back-to-normal

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The train left Vancouver on Christmas Day. The woman who later died had boarded in Edmonton on Dec. 26 with two relatives.

Joanne Woodward, a spokeswoman for the Ontario Ministry of Health, said they are still awaiting test results to determine the cause of the illness. A post-mortem examination is expected Sunday. http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/arti...via-rail-train

[Treyfish]

Via says a quarantine was placed on the two rooms the passengers were in, it's not believed anyone else was in those compartments, which will be sterilized.

Health officials say it's not believed that other passengers or the train's crew were exposed to those taken off the train.

The local coroner was trying to determine the cause of death and the Ontario Provincial Police say the woman's identity was being withheld until all family members were notified.http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Woma...324/story.html

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The 86-year-old woman, whose identity has not been released, boarded the train in Edmonton with two relatives, and suddenly died near Parry Sound, Ontario Provincial Police said.

Two cabins on the train, which had departed from Vancouver on Dec. 25, had been quarantined after the passengers said they were feeling ill, said Elizabeth Huart, spokesperson for Via Rail.

She said it was a decision made by both train officials and the passengers themselves to stay in their cabin.

“When [these passengers] boarded the train, they indicated to our employees that they were not feeling good. That they had flu-like symptoms, and it was decided that they would be quarantined,” she said Sunday. “Which means that they would stay in their cabin, and all of the services would come to them.”

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Ms. Huart would not say what the relationship of the three passengers were to the deceased woman, she said.

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The body has been transported to Toronto for an autopsy, she added.

A post-mortem examination was scheduled for Sunday at the Office of the Chief Coroner, O.P.P. said.

Ms. Huart said fatalities such as this are isolated cases, and it’s very rare for passengers to be quarantined.http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/12...n-to-hospital/

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Official say no new illnesses after woman on VIA train dies
MONDAY, DEC. 31 2012, 5:58 PM EST
Provincial health officials reported no new or worsening illnesses but also offered no answers on Monday, after one woman died and three people were taken to hospital with flu-like symptoms having become ill aboard a passenger train Saturday morning.

A spokesperson for the provincial Coroner told the Globe and Mail a post-mortem has been completed on the deceased passenger, whose name has yet to be released, but no cause of death has been determined, and test samples have been sent to public health authorities for further analysis. Ministry of Health spokesperson Joanne Woodward Fraser said it is unlikely the province will release further information until Wednesday, after the Jan. 1 holiday... http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...rticle6822701/