Young student killed in accident at Iberville Colony school

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This article was published 15/11/2023 (733 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba RCMP and education officials are investigating the death of a nine-year-old girl after a freak accident Monday at a school on a Hutterite colony.

The child, who was a Grade 4 student at Iberville Colony, was playing a game of hide-and-seek during gym class when she went into a storage room and was crushed beneath a stack of tables that were leaning against the wall.

The girl suffered head injures and died at the scene.

Prairie Rose School Division superintendent Terry Osiowy confirmed the details of the fatal incident by phone Wednesday, saying support teams have been sent to the community in response to the tragedy.

The division provides staff to the school, which is located at Iberville Colony around 40 kilometres west of Winnipeg, near St. Eustache.

“It’s quite traumatic for our staff there right now. They are really struggling,” Osiowy said, describing how a teacher and two educational assistants phoned 911 and attempted first aid on the girl.

First responders arrived quickly but were unable to save the child, Osiowy said.

RCMP confirmed it responded to reports of an injured child at a school in the Rural Municipality of Cartier around 11:15 a.m. Monday.

A STARS emergency air ambulance arrived on scene around the same time for reports of a person suffering from blunt trauma. The injured person was not subsequently transported to Winnipeg, a STARS spokesperson said.

“When officers attended EMS and other first responders were already on scene. Unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries at the scene,” an RCMP spokesperson said.

Mounties are investigating, but criminality is not suspected at this time, RCMP said.

A councillor from the RM of Cartier confirmed members of the local fire department were also deployed.

The school division will begin an internal investigation next week, as part of standard procedure.

“We were devastated to hear this news. As a parent and a former educator, I can only imagine the pain and grief they are feeling today. It is very difficult to lose a child, and it is certainly very devastating,” Manitoba Education Minister Nello Altomare said by phone.

The minister’s office was alerted to the incident Tuesday, and immediately connected with the school division to offer supports and condolences, the minister said.

Provincial officials will work in tandem with the division throughout the investigation, and intend to visit the Iberville Colony, Altomare said.

“(The review) will be absolutely thorough. We are going to take our time to understand fully what the situation was and we are also going to take the important time to be with this community, to offer our condolences and also physically be with them,” he said.

“Supports are in place for the community and the family.”

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca