Child dead after being struck by GO train in Mississauga

Peel police said a child has been pronounced dead after being struck by a GO train in Mississauga Tuesday evening.

Police say the call came in at 7:39 p.m., in the Lolita Gardens and Silver Creek Boulevard area.

In a tweet around 8:15 p.m. Mississauga Fire tweeted a child was struck by a GO train and Peel police and paramedics were on scene

Shortly after, Peel police tweeted the child was pronounced deceased.

The age of the child has not been confirmed by police, however Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie in a tweet said she was absolutely devastated to hear of the death of a young 4-year-old child who was tragically hit by a train tonight."

The loss of a child is nothing short of a tragedy and my heart goes out to their family and loved ones as they grieve this indescribable and immeasurable loss."

Metrolinx spokesperson James Wattie said the child was struck by one of their trains west of the Dixie GO station which was the final train on the Milton line for the day.

Our thoughts are with their family and loved ones, as well as with our train crew and passengers," Wattie said.

Metrolinx will be providing grief counsellors for GO crew members and the staff investigating the scene. He also implores anyone impacted by the incident to reach out for mental health support.

We understand tonight's tragic incident was also very upsetting to many customers. There are many excellent mental health supports in the community and we encourage them to reach out to someone if needed."

A spokesperson for Peel police at a press conference near the scene of the incident said the investigation is very early on" and can't provide more details.

Our major collision Bureau along with our forensic identification unit are processing the scene as we speak."

Anyone who may have heard or seen anything is being asked by police to contact investigators at Peel Police's 12 Division. Those that wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 416-222-TIPS.

We're asking tonight for privacy for the family as they tried to process this tragic incident here tonight," said the spokesperson.

Dorcas Marfo is a reporter for the Star's radio room based in Toronto. Reach Dorcas via email: dmarfo@thestar.ca