Woman rescued after snow falls off roof, buries her in Quebec City

Quebec City police rescued a 79-year-old woman after she wasburied under a pile of snow that fellfrom a roof Friday afternoon.

The city has been hit hard by heavy snowfall this winter and, as of Friday, still had an estimated 100 centimetres on the ground.

The incident occurred at approximately 2:45 p.m. in front of a residential building located at d'AuteuilStreet in the old city.

A significant amount of snow detached from the roof of the building before falling on the sidewalk as the victim was walking by.

The woman was completely buried, with only a portion of her hip visible.Her disabled husband was unable to help. He called police.

When police arrived, they quickly cleared snow from her head and face so she could breathe.

At first, officers were using only their hands to clear the snow, but they finished the job with a shovel found at the scene.

The victim was transported to a hospital and, according to the police, herlife is not in danger.

The owner of the building was ordered to clear the roof immediately and a section of sidewalk was temporarily closed for safety reasons.