A train in Canada with about 280 people on board has been put under quarantine, after one passenger died and several others reported flu-like symptoms.

The authorities say they do not believe there is a connection between the death and the illnesses.

The train was travelling from Vancouver to Toronto when a woman in her 60s fell ill and died on Friday morning.

The authorities say they are keeping passengers and crew on the train while they await the Ferguson has confidence in Bolton ...
Sports News ...
Passenger dies on Aeroflot flight ...
Over 260 Czechs seek asylum in Canada after visa lifting ...
Mailbox ...
Czech PM Topolanek to visit Canada next week ... results of tests.

The train was stopped in the tiny hamlet of Foleyet in northern Ontario and surrounded by emergency services, who evacuated the local station.

A second passenger was airlifted to hospital, where she was diagnosed with a respiratory illness and is said to be in a stable condition.

Three day journey

Dr David Williams, Ontario's chief medical officer, said that the woman who died did not have an infectious disease and that the illnesses were not related.

"While the cause of death continues to be under investigation, it has been determined that the deceased did most likely not have an infectious disease," Dr Williams told a news conference.

Five other passengers who complained of mild flu-like symptoms had been quarantined in a separate carriage and treated by a doctor, who was "not concerned for their immediate health," Ontario Provincial Police Staff Sergeant Rob Knox said.

The train was on its final leg of a three day trip and is expected to continue its journey and arrive in Toronto on Saturday.

Carol Woodhouse, who works in Foleyet, told CBC News that a medical helicopter and five ambulances had been called to the railway station.

"For a little town that usually has only two police officers, it's been very busy here," she said.

Several hospitals in Ontario and Quebec have recently experienced outbreaks of C-Difficile, a bacterium that causes intestinal problems.

(BBC)

<< Back