An 11-year-old girl was "seriously sexually assaulted" early Saturday morning after accepting a ride from a stranger, Winnipeg police said.

Police said the victim was walking home from a friend's place in the area of Arlington Street and Alexander Avenue about 1 a.m. when she accepted a ride from an unknown man.

The man drove the girl to a "secluded area" in the 900-block of Elgin Avenue -- a stretch of warehouses and industrial buildings -- and threatened to kill her before sexually assaulting her, police said.

"It's obviously a very tragic, very sad incident," said police spokesman Sgt. Kelly Dennison. "This 11-year-old girl is just trying to walk home, and this happens."

Norman Boudreau, vice-president of Winnipeg's Beyond Borders chapter, said the incident was "as horrible as someone can imagine," but questioned why the girl had been allowed outside at 1 a.m.