The doors of the Sainte-Agnès church in Lac-Mégantic are wide open Thursday morning for a special mass which marks the 10th anniversary of the worst railway tragedy in Quebec. On July 6, 2013, a train carrying oil derailed and burned its downtown core, taking 47 people from the community.
From the Sainte-Agnès church, you can see the railway tracks, a few tens of meters away. Still standing after the explosion, it has become, even more, a rallying point in the heart of Lac-Mégantic.
This is why it is the place chosen for the commemorative mass, at 11 a.m. The Méganticois will be there, as well as politicians, such as Prime Ministers François Legault and Justin Trudeau. Many ministers will accompany the Quebec head of state, including his Deputy Prime Minister Geneviève Guilbault.
The citizens of the small municipality of Estrie had expressed the desire for sober commemorations to mark the 10e anniversary. “A summer of comfort for the population,” the City said. Citizens were invited to bring flowers from their gardens on Thursday to beautify the church.
After mass, as every year, the bells will ring to remember the 47 people who were killed that day.
Then, a concert will take place in the evening, just like Friday evening, this one taking place at the Musi-Café, which has become one of the sad emblems of the tragedy, since it is there that most of the victims lost their life.
Further details will follow.