Story highlights
Mayor dies of anaphylactic shock
She was attacked by approximately 15 wasps, spokeswoman says
She reportedly was not allergic to wasps
The mayor of a community just outside Montreal died of anaphylactic shock Sunday after being attacked by wasps while on vacation.
Lucie Roussel, the mayor of La Prairie, was 51, according to a release issued by the city. Roussel had served as mayor since 2003. A lawyer by training, Roussel is survived by her two children, Constance, 20, and Antonin, 19.
Roussel was attacked by approximately 15 wasps, according to a spokeswoman for La Prairie, Chantal Charron. However, Charron said the mayor was not allergic to wasps.
Canadian broadcaster CTV spoke with Roussel’s former colleague Reine Hebert, who spoke of the loss. “I’m thinking about her family. They lost their father a few years ago. You can’t do that to the family. I mean it’s so sad.” Hebert continued, saying “It’s sad for the people, it’s sad for her two children, for the whole city.”
Several politicians expressed their condolences online after word of Roussel’s death became public, including the mayor of Montreal, Denis Coderre, who tweeted about the death, saying it was “very sad,” and offered his condolences to her family and her two children.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.