Several heads of government walked in together as one group of dignitaries — including Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Premier Pauline Marois and Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche.
Pierrette Turgeon Blanchet places a book containing the names of the
dead on a stand during a memorial ceremony at the Sainte-Agnes church
in Lac-Megantic, Quebec.
LAC-MEGANTIC, QUE.—A
church in Lac-Megantic is full this morning for a memorial service three
weeks after a train derailment devastated the Quebec town.
Several heads of government walked in together as one group of dignitaries — including Prime Minister Stephen Harper , Premier Pauline Marois and Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche.
They were applauded by the large crowd outside the church as they arrived.
One of those people standing in the crowd, Liberal Leader
Justin Trudeau, was conducting a TV interview but he stopped to join
others in applauding the arrival of the dignitaries including his
political rival.
The crowd delivered an even louder greeting when a group of fire-fighters arrived for the mass, which began at 11 a.m.
About 1,000 people packed Ste-Agnes Church for the mass, which is being presided over by Luc Cyr, the archbishop of Sherbrooke.
Some 700 places were
reserved for loved ones of the deceased, with the remaining pew spots
set aside for locals, volunteers and dignitaries.
The mass began with a grandmother from the town reading out the names of all the victims from a large card.
“You know grandmothers
— they like to tell their grandchildren stories,” said Pierrette
Turgeon Blanchette, before she began reading.
“But today I’d like to tell God a story.”
Sophie L’Heureux, the
manager of Musi-Cafe bar, lost many friends and co-workers after
fireballs consumed the watering hole moments after the crash.
She watched the ceremony on a big screen on the street outside he church.
“It’s an important step in the mourning process,” she said of the service’s impact on the town of 6,000.
“The whole population
of Lac-Megantic is still really in a state of shock, even after three
weeks. It will stay engraved on our hearts and on our memories for a
long time.”
Many people outside
the church wiped tears from their eyes as the names of the victims were
read out at the start of the ceremony.
Forty-seven people
were killed on July 6 when a train carrying crude oil careened off the
tracks and exploded into an all-consuming fireball.
The tragedy has
triggered several lawsuits, a police criminal investigation and a probe
by federal transportation-safety officials.
Quebec and the federal
government have each promised $60 million for emergency assistance and
longer-term reconstruction help for the town.
Ottawa has also revamped some rules on train transport, following the advice of the federal Transportation Safety Board.
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