Three young sisters have died after being smothered in canola seed on their family's farm.
Catie Bott, 13, and 11-year-old twin sisters Dara and Jana Bott of Withrow, Alberta in Canada suffocated after being buried under canola while playing on a grain truck loaded with the seed on Tuesday evening, police said.
The girls were pulled out by adults who were at the farm and despite emergency responders' efforts to perform CPR on them, two of the sisters were pronounced dead at the scene while a third sister died in hospital, CTV News reported.
Our kids died living life on the farm, it is a family farm,' the girls' parents Roger and Bonita Bott said in a statement on Wednesday.
'We do not regret raising and involving our kids... it was our life.'
'Thank you for all of the overwhelming support we have received from the first responders, neighbors and friends,' the statement continued.
'We would ask the media to respect our privacy at this time of grief.'
Authorities said the incident happened around 6.15pm when the girl's were playing on a truck loaded with canola and were buried under the grain which caused them to suffocate.
'The girls were with their parents, and while the truck was being unloaded they somehow fell into the canola seed. He added that the seed is a 'very small grain' and that if it gets into your lungs it stops the oxygen transfer.
Emergency responders tried to resuscitate the girls for two hours, however Catie and one of the twin sisters died at the scene.
The third sister was airlifted in critical condition to Stollery Children's Hospital in Edmonton. She passed away on Wednesday morning, police said.
Roger Bott's cousin, Fred Bott, who spent time on the family's farm while growing up in Rocky Mountain House, Alberta, described the family as a 'tightly-knit group' who was well-established in the local farming community.
Family friend Pastor Brian Allan of Withrow Gospel Mission, where the girls were involved in the youth and children's groups, said he was with the family on Tuesday night as they tried to cope with their loss.
The incident is being investigated by the Rocky Mountain House RCMP. Any situation of this magnitude is a tragedy on all levels.
