An elderly woman died and three other passengers fell ill on a passenger train that left Vancouver for Toronto.

A reported medical emergency caused the Via train to stop at 5 a.m. Saturday in Parry Sound, Ont., a three-hour drive north of the provincial capital.

When local paramedics arrived, the woman was pronounced dead. Her identity has not been released pending the results of an autopsy and notification of family members.

The three other passengers were taken to hospital for treatment of “flu-like symptoms,” according to a Via Rail statement.

On what’s known as Train 2, the trip began in Vancouver on Christmas Day at 8:30 p.m., and was en route to Toronto for a scheduled 9:30 a.m. Saturday arrival. After a six-hour delay, the train departed Parry Sound around noon. It arrived just before 2 p.m. with 200 passengers and 13 crew members onboard.

The two rooms occupied by the ill passengers were quarantined, which is standard procedure, Via said. No cause of death has been released.

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