Canada

A nine-year-old boy is dead after an accident at an outdoor rink in small municipality northeast of Montreal.

Quebec provincial police say the boy was playing hockey alone at around 9 a.m. Saturday morning when a hockey net fell on top of him.

Two municipal workers in Saint-Severin, Que. found the boy lying on the ice, underneath the net, according to police spokesman Daniel Thibaudeau.

"They tried to help him but it was already too late," Thibaudeau said.

The boy was taken to a nearby hospital where his death was confirmed. Thibaudeau said police don't consider the incident a criminal matter.

Saint-Severin is about 200 kilometres from Montreal.