Four-year-old girl dies after falling under Santa Claus float at Christmas parade

‘A very tragic incident, very traumatic for everyone who was involved’

Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, close to Main Street and Starrs Road where the tragedy occurred (Google)

A four-year-old girl has died after falling under a float during a Santa Claus parade.

The youngster was running alongside the truck when she stumbled in Nova Scotia, Canada.

“A very tragic incident, very traumatic for everyone who was involved with the parade and at the scene,” Corporal Dal Hutchinson of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police told the national broadcaster CBC.

He added: “My understanding there were a lot of people nearby when this took place. So, our thoughts right now are with this little girl’s family, as it’s a very difficult time, but also with the community. With people that were there watching the parade.”

The incident happened at the annual Christmas Parade of Lights in the port town of Yarmouth at around 7pm on Saturday.

The girl – who has not been identified – was treated at the scene by emergency services and then taken to hospital, where she died.

Cpl Hutchinson said witnesses who felt traumatised by what they had seen event would be provided with professional help.

“If you’re struggling with what you witnessed, it’s very important to talk about it and seek some help to deal with those emotions,” he said.

Vance Webb, a retired machinist who attended the event with his wife, stepson and three grandchildren, said: “We were just watching the parade, and then about 30 feet away, I hear – all of a sudden, the float stops, and I kinda see something on the ground. Then all of a sudden, we just heard screaming. It was pretty close to us.”

He said the scene descended into “mayhem” as people realised what had happened.

“People within 50 feet of it – none of us are OK,” he said. “All the adults were crying. Everywhere I saw, there were hundreds of people crying. This is really gonna affect the town.”