Nine years since Lac-Mégantic railway tragedy
Posted July 6, 2022 8:00 am.
It’s been nine years since the Lac-Mégantic tragedy, Canada’s deadliest railway accident in over a century.
On July 6, 2013, an unattended 73-car freight train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded in Lac-Mégantic, a rural town of 6,000 in the Eastern Townships.
47 people were killed in the accident and it destroyed much of the town’s core.
All but three of the 39 remaining buildings had to be demolished due to petroleum contamination.
A memorial was built to honor the victims in 2020, at the site of the former Musi-Café in the heart of the town, where staff and patrons made up many of the victims.
The federal government is currently working on a railway bypass in Lac-Mégantic. It’s original completion date of 2023 has been delayed.
