Woman dies after being struck by STM bus

A pedestrian has diedafter being hit by a city bus Monday morning.

The 51-year-old womanwas near the intersection of St-Laurent Boulevard andSauvStreet in Montreal'sAhuntsicneighbourhood when she was struck at around 5:30 a.m.

Montreal firefighters were already on the scene when ambulances arrived, trying to get access to the woman,said Urgences-Sant spokesperson Jeremy Lachance.

"She was trapped under the bus," Lachance said. "When our paramedics got there, it took five minutes until they got access to the patient."

The victimwas taken to hospital in critical condition. Police confirmed her death shortly before noon.

The bus driver, a man, was also transported to hospital to be treated for shock.

Montreal police have closed the area to traffic and aretrying to determine the circumstances leading up to the collision.

Philipp Dery, spokesperson for Montreal's public transportation agency, said the bus was in transit at the time of the collision. There were no passengers on board.

The bus was being driven to the STM's nearbygarage after being used on a night route, he said.

"When situations like these happen, the SPVM leads the investigation with our co-operation," Dery said. "Our experts will also be looking deeper into this unfortunate event."