(Canwest News Service circulated the following story by Tiffany Crawford on May 12.)
OTTAWA — Ontario police have identified the woman who died on board a Via Rail train that was stalled for hours in northern Ontario on Friday.
An autopsy determined Brenda Buckley, 43, of South Africa died of natural causes, the South Porcupine division of the Ontario Provincial Police said Sunday.
The train, which originated in Vancouver, arrived more than 10 hours behind schedule Saturday after authorities took precautions, quarantining commuters for fear of a possible sickness outbreak.
An assessment of all passengers on the Via Rail has been completed and results confirm that there was no outbreak of infectious disease on the train, Ontario’s Ministry of Health said in a statement.
Ministry officials said five passengers who were ill before they boarded the train were assessed and samples taken for lab testing. Four of the five individuals tested positive for flu.
Another passenger on the train experiencing flu-like symptoms tested positive for a cold virus.
At about 8:30 a.m. Friday, CN Rail officials reported that a female passenger had respiratory problems and showed no vital signs.