NEW ORLEANS — A tragic accident caused the second half of one of Carnival's premier parades to be cancelled Wednesday night.
The decision was made by the city after float 21 out of 44 floats was involved in a fatal accident that took the life of 58-year-old Geraldine Carmouche.
The first 20 floats that came before the ill-fated float were allowed to continue through the route and finish up. The last floats completed their routes around midnight.
The remainder of the floats were taken to the ending spot for the parade.
"We have received a lot of questions about the decision to cancel the second half of the parade," said Captain Julie Lea, who was informed of the death while on her float and who ended her ride for the night at that point. "That decision, which we supported, was the city's alone and it was made under a unique and tragic set of circumstances."
Lea said the krewe was holding an emergency meeting to discuss how to move forward.
Nyx is the largest New Orleans Carnival krewe with 44 floats and thousands of riders, many of whom had their nights ended, almost before it began.
Carmouche was said by witnesses to be trying to cross between the two sections of a tandem float when she was knocked down by the hitch connecting them and fell under the float.