A woman who was suffering flu-like symptoms was found dead on a Via Rail passenger train early Saturday morning in Ontario.
Via Rail said the train, travelling between Vancouver and Toronto, made a stop near Parry Sound, Ont. at approximately 5 a.m. after four passengers onboard were showing symptoms of the flu.
Emergency crews boarded the train and confirmed that one of the passengers, an 86-year-old woman, had died. The victim had boarded the train with two relatives in Edmonton, said police.
An autopsy on the woman is scheduled to take place in Toronto on Sunday.
Three other passengers were transported to hospital for treatment.
All the passengers who were taken to hospital were not suffering from life-threatening illnesses, said Sgt. Rick MacKay from 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, which had 200 passengers and 13 crew members onboard, 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.
Health officials said it’s not believed that crew members or other passengers were exposed to those who were taken off the train.
The OPP said the woman’s identity is being withheld until family members are notified.
