Students say they ran, dodged lights after incident inside Louis Riel dome

Frightening moments at Louis Riel dome Students ran for the exits when it appeared the dome was going to deflate. CTV’s Joanne Schnurr reports.

Some students inside the Louise Riel Dome this afternoon had a frightening experience.

They ran for the exits when it seemed as though the dome was going to deflate.Students tell CTV News that the dome started moving a little bit at first, then a tear appeared and they say they were told to run.

Grade 11 students Anna Kokkaliaris and Marie Soleil Bourdon were inside the dome at the time for a fitness class.  A soccer team was inside as well.  They say the dome started getting smaller and their teacher yelled at them to get out.

“We looked across the dome and the dome fell, the side of it and the lights hit the floor and everyone started running,” says Kokkaliaris, “Some went one direction and some went the other direction.  I was running towards one exit and I changed my mind and went the other way. I was the last one to get out so I almost got hit by the lights and if I

“I was running on the other side actualy,” says Bourdon, “I was really scared.  I didn’t' know what to do.  I didn’t know if it was real. I was really anxious and scared.  I didn't know what to do.  I ran as fast as I could.”

The Conseil des écoles publiques de l'Est de l'Ontario said it had a technicaldifficulty with the dome.

“We had some problems with a pressure sensor,” a spokeswoman said in a telephone interview, “but it was okay, we already bought one and are waiting to receive it.  There was no danger for the kids, no worries.”

The board said the pressure in the dome dropped a bit and that, combined with the snow, caused the dome to go “down a bit.”  They confirmed that a light fell and that two others dropped a bit.

One parent who spoke to CTV Ottawa said he has complained to the school board and has demanded an explanation as to why parents weren’t notified of the incident.