The Canadian Red Cross has released some sobering statistics about the number of water-related deaths, and deaths in house fires in Atlantic Canada in 2019.
There were 34 unintended water-related deaths in Atlantic Canada last year. Of that, 15 of those occurred in this province, the most in Atlantic Canada.
The largest tragedy was the float plane crash in Mistastin Lake in Labrador, which claimed the lives of seven men. In Nova Scotia, there were 14 water-related deaths, four in Prince Edward Island, and one in New Brunswick.
(Mistastin Lake; the site of the crash.)
As well, there were 24 deaths in Atlantic Canada last year due to house fires.
The largest tragedy was the deaths of seven children in a family of nine immigrants from Syria, adding to the province’s total of 12. New Brunswick had eight such fatalities, while there were two deaths each in this province and PEI.
