Quebec community mourns loss of nine-year-old girl killed in snow fort collapse

A small community west of Quebec City is mourning the loss of a nine-year-old girl who died after a snow fort collapsed.

Provincial police (SQ) say it happened Sunday afternoon in the woods behind a rural home in Saint-Ubalde in the Portneuf RCM.

“1,500 inhabitants…everyone knows each other,” says Saint-Ubalde Mayor Guy Germain, adding many families have lived in the community for generations. “It’s touched all of us.”

First responders tried to revive the girl, but she was declared dead in hospital. A seven-year-old girl was able to get out with minor injuries.

On Monday, officials from the municipality and local health authority visited the victim’s school to offer support to students and anyone who may need it.

“We are very sad about the situation, to lose a student, it’s nothing but tragic,” says Marie-Claude Gignac, director of communications at Portneuf School Service Center.

The town also posted a condolence message on its Facebook page, offering sympathies to the family.

“We cannot find the words to express the immense sadness we have after learning about this tragedy,” it read in part. “The loss of a child is an immeasurable ordeal.”

Police are investigating the girl's death.