A new step has been taken in the investigation which is shaking the small municipality of Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan, in Lanaudière. Three bodies were found in the rubble of the Propane Lafortune distributor building, destroyed by fire last Thursday.
The Sûreté du Québec (SQ) confirmed Monday afternoon that it had found the bodies of three people in the rubble of the old propane distribution center in Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan. Last Thursday, the explosion followed by a major fire had reduced the building to ashes. Since then, three people have been missing.
The identity of the victims has still not been confirmed. The remains were transported to the Laboratory of Forensic Sciences and Forensic Medicine, in order to identify them, at the request of the Coroner’s Office, said Monday Hélène St-Pierre, spokesperson for the SQ.
According to our information, the first two victims are Céline Pilon and France Desrosiers, who both worked as secretaries at Propane Lafortune. The third, a man, was doing work for the company.
“We are getting closer to the answers”
“There were three questions: who, why and how. Today, quietly, we are starting to get closer to the answers, supports Sébastien Marcil, mayor of Saint-Roch-de-l’Achigan, on the phone. The next step will make it possible to leave all the room for families to get through this ordeal. »
Mr. Marcil spoke to the families of the alleged victims last Friday. “They were absolutely devastated by the situation,” he says. Today we are back to Monday, it’s been more than four days [depuis la tragédie]. Even if there are few doubts, the absolute and total tragedy is not having the official answer and living in expectation. This is what is unbearable for them. »
Indeed, the aunt of Céline Pilon, joined by telephone by The Press, can hardly imagine his missing niece. “I feel very bad, we think about it all the time, she testifies. I see her, I see her as if it were to explode and I’m in pain. »
Céline Pilon was “a good person, she underlines. Very nice, very beautiful. »
The investigation continues
Fire scene technicians and investigators are still continuing to analyze the scene located in an agricultural sector, on the outskirts of the small municipality of Lanaudière. A partnership has also been established with experts from the Forensic Science and Forensic Medicine Laboratory and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, says Hélène St-Pierre.
Legal steps are also taken by the authorities to allow the continuation of the investigation, specifies the spokesperson.
Joined by The PressPropane Lafortune declined to comment on the news as the investigation is still ongoing.
In the small town, solidarity prevails, reports Mr. Marcil: “The general feeling of the whole population is that we want to have answers to questions. We all stick together, with the families [endeuillées], but as much with the Lafortune family. Because the Lafortune family is the victim of this tragedy, everyone knows them here, no one could have imagined such a tragedy. »
In his view, the population trusts the authorities to shed light on the event. “All this in order to find answers and ensure that events like this can never happen again. »