It was an unthinkable tragedy. On Saturday, 20 people died - and another 50 are presumed dead - in a horrific explosion caused by a train derailment in Lac-Megantic, Quebec.
Media accounts from the area describe family gatherings and other happy moments in the small town of approximately 6,000 people that were disrupted when tanker rail cars filled with crude oil rolled down a hill and derailed in the centre of town.
The devastation and loss from the subsequent explosion, as well as the anger of residents demanding answers, is heartwrenching.
The police, the Transportation Safety Board and the train's operating company, Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway, are investigating the explosion and the reasons behind it. Meanwhile, other towns and cities throughout the country are considering how best to protect their residents from dangerous transportable goods.
The four railways that travel through New Westminster can transport more volatile cargo than crude oil, as Coun.
Chuck Puchmayr points out in our story on page 1.
The trains carry chlorine gas, sul-pheric acid, hydrogen peroxide and propane, all of which could have dire consequences in the case of a derailment, especially in a heavily populated area.
That's why we're relieved to hear that a new community panel, with city and railway representatives and New Westminster residents, has been formed.
While Coun. Puchmayr states that a derailment like the one in Quebec is very unlikely here, it is good to know that safety issues are being discussed and handled cooperatively.
Hopefully, the panel can clarify and share with the public the comprehensive railway safety response plans in place to prevent such tragedies from occurring in our city.
