13-year-old girl found unconscious in Châteauguay after snow fort collapsed

A 13-year-old-girl is in critical condition after a snow fort collapsed on her in Châteauguay, south of Montreal, on Tuesday afternoon.

Châteauguay police say a call came in to 911 around 4 p.m. about a teen found unconscious outside of her home after an incident involving snow.

Police say resuscitation maneuvers were performed on-site and the girl was then transported to hospital. Authorities fear for her life.

Police say they’re investigating what led to the incident, and various hypotheses are being considered.

Éric Allard, Mayor of Châteauguay, says he was informed that a snow tunnel fell on the girl and the news comes as a “shock” to the community.

“Yesterday, we had City Council and I made a message saying that it was dangerous, ‘Please be careful for those installations, especially when there’s no removal process. Be careful,'” he said.

“This morning, the city made a post on Facebook warning the citizens to be careful with that kind of installation, with that kind of game, and then that happened. It was really a shock for us.”

Allard is reiterating his call for children and parents to be prudent playing in snow, especially in making tunnels and forts.

“I played in that kind of game when I was younger and we always heard some bad stories about it and unfortunately it still happened,” he said. “So please be careful. Watch your kids when you’re out there,” he said, adding that he does not want to blame parents, just make them aware.

—With files from The Canadian Press