A child has died after being struck by a GO Train in Mississauga Tuesday evening.
Mississauga Fire confirmed in a tweet that a child had been struck by a GO train in the area of Dundas Street and Cawthra Road. The call came in at around 7:40 p.m.
The fire service said that paramedics and police were also responding to the scene.
Shortly before 9 p.m., Peel police confirmed that the child had been pronounced dead at the scene.
A witness told CP24 that he and some colleagues were standing outside of their repair facility nearby when they heard the train’s horn sound loudly.
“We heard the train laid on the horn excessively, so we looked up at each other and we said that something was going on,” he said. “And then minutes after we heard an impact. We knew that the train had hit something and then we realized that obviously, after the fact, that it had hit a small child.”
It is not yet clear how the child came to be in the path of the train.
“Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones and of course with our train crew and passengers as well. It's had a profound impact on everyone involved tonight,” Metrolinx spokesperson James Wattie told CP24.
He said around 300 passengers were on board the train when the child was struck.
“We are providing grief counsellors for our crew and staff investigating the scene,” Wattie said. “We also understand that the incident has been very upsetting to customers on board. We are encouraging them to seek any mental health supports in the community that they should need.”
The train cleared out of the area at around 10:30 p.m. after investigators cleared it to leave.
Peel police provided few details about the incident Tuesday night and could not confirm whether the child was with any family members when they were struck.
Police have not yet disclosed the age of the child, but Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie described the child in a tweet as a four-year-old.
“Absolutely devastated to hear of the death of a young 4 year old child who was tragically hit by a train tonight,” Crombie wrote. “The loss of a child is nothing short of a tragedy and my heart goes out to their family and loved ones as they grieve this indescribable and immeasurable loss.”
Neighbours in the area told CP24 that they have been concerned for some time about the lack of a proper barrier around the train tracks.
“I can’t believe it,” said one man who lives nearby and did not want to be identified.
He said at one point he considered starting a petition to get the city to erect a barrier as he regularly sees lots of pedestrians dangerously close to the tracks.
“Please do something about it. We don’t want another child to lose their life,” he said.
