It is with heavy hearts that citizens attended the special mass of solidarity on Sunday morning, at the church of Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan, in Lanaudière, where three people have been missing since a violent explosion occurred last Thursday.
“This Thursday, no one could have predicted what was going to happen. Nobody would have imagined that such a tragedy was going to happen,” declared the provincial deputy for Rousseau, Louis-Charles Thouin, at the start of the mass, saying he was “deeply sad”.
Hundreds of people from across the region gathered Sunday in the church on the main street in Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan. Tears rolled down the cheeks of many of the parishioners.
“It’s a meeting of prayers, solidarity, comfort and mutual presence,” said the parish priest, Claude Ritchie.
It’s an environment where people are very close to each other and where people know each other a lot. They need to find each other.
Claude Ritchie, parish priest
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
A special mass of solidarity was organized on Sunday at the church of Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan, in Lanaudière.
“In the face of such a tragedy that will forever mark our memories, words fail us, because we know deep in our hearts that few words can have enough strength to ease this pain, this sorrow that you all feel,” said during the ceremony the MP for Montcalm, Luc Thériault.
The research continues
The search continues at the Propane Lafortune site, where a powerful explosion caused a violent fire and the collapse of the roof while people were inside Thursday, around 11:15 a.m.
PHOTO JOSIE DESMARAIS, THE PRESS
Research is continuing at the Propane Lafortune site, where a powerful explosion caused a violent fire and the collapse of the roof on Thursday.
The weather conditions and the state of the place complicate the search to find the missing people in the rubble, two employees and a subcontractor of the company, according to Isabelle Lafortune of the family business established in this small municipality of 5,725 inhabitants. .
The explosion and fire that ravaged the propane sales and distribution business had initially forced evacuations within a radius of about 1 km. A support cell had been set up in the basement of the church, where citizens evacuated from around fifty residences were able to find refuge for several hours.
With The Canadian Press