A tragic incident occurred in Fremont, Ohio, where two women and a 5-year-old girl lost their lives after being struck by a train while on a railway bridge spanning a northern Ohio river, as reported by authorities on Monday.
The girl’s body was discovered by search teams equipped with sonar the following Monday, located near the bridge over the Sandusky River, as per Fremont Mayor Danny Sanchez. The family, hailing from Fort Wayne, Indiana, was embarking on a fishing outing along the Sandusky River when they were on the bridge Sunday night and unfortunately encountered the oncoming train, Sanchez disclosed. A 1-year-old girl in the family was rescued and has been hospitalized in critical condition, according to city officials.
Mayor Sanchez stated it remains uncertain whether the train directly collided with all four individuals or if some were thrown or leapt into the river in an attempt to evade the approaching train.
The circumstances leading to the mishap are currently under investigation. The bridge, not designed for pedestrian use, bears no-trespassing signs, according to the mayor, who also mentioned his belief that the family was not fishing from the bridge at the moment the train approached.
Identifying the victims, city officials named Ram Masan, aged 50; O Ny Zar, aged 34; and Intisar Mi, aged 5, all from Fort Wayne. It was reported by the mayor that the deceased women were a mother and her adult daughter.
Norfolk Southern, the rail operator involved, expressed deep sorrow over the incident in an official statement, noting that they will be working closely with the authorities in the ongoing investigation.