The family of three Alberta sisters who died after being buried in a pile of canola seed are thanking the community for an outpouring of support.
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Adults on scene were able to remove the children from the truck, but emergency crews could not save two of the girls, aged 11 and 13.
“My understanding is it was the parents and neighbors that rushed out to get the girls freed up”, said Ted Hickey, Director of Community and Protective services at Clearwater County, Alberta, which sent firefighters to the scene.
Another 11-year-old girl was transported in critical condition to the Stollery Children’s Hospital in Edmonton via air ambulance – there are media reports that all three girls were sisters.
Thank you for all of the overwhelming support we have received from the first responders, neighbours and friends.
In a statement read by the RCMP on Wednesday, the parents said the girls grew up on a farm and they don’t regret introducing their daughters to a farm lifestyle.
Rocky Mountain House RCMP said that the three were playing on a loaded truck of canola and became buried by the seed and suffocated.
“This is hitting us all very hard”, Numan added.
Stuart Brideaux, from Alberta Health Services, called the incident a “tragedy”. He said he wasn’t sure if they were homeschooled after that, but the family remained involved in the school community.
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‘This will be impactful for the community and every first responder that attended’.
