New Orleans agency: 1 fatally struck by Mardi Gras float

NEW ORLEANS - A person was struck by a float and fatally injured Saturday evening during one of the iconic parades of the Mardi Gras season in New Orleans, authorities said. It was the second death in days to mar this year’s Carnival festivities.

A city agency tasked with emergency preparedness tweeted online that a death had occurred on a downtown New Orleans route of the iconic Krewe of Endymion parade. But it had no immediate details and police said they would release more information later.

The city agency’s emergency preparedness site online, NOLA Ready, said the remainder of Endymion’s parade was canceled Saturday evening as it was winding down and remaining floats and groups would not continue on the route.

It said emergency officials were responding to the area and urged the crowds thronging the city amid the revelry leading up to Fat Tuesday to avoid the area where the death occurred.

The fatality comes as New Orleans already was mourning the death of a 58-year-old woman who witnesses said was run over by a parade float Wednesday night as the city celebrated the season leading up to Mardi Gras.

The earlier death happened during the parade of the Mystic Krewe of Nyx, an all-female Carnival group. Witnessed said that woman had apparently tried to cross between two parts of a tandem float, tripped over a hitch connecting the sections and was run over.

Mardi Gras is Feb. 25, but the Fat Tuesday celebration is preceded by a week or more of parades and parties each year.

The deaths come one year after a car sped into a bicycle lane near a parade route, hitting nine people and killing two bicyclists.