Grief weighs on Lac-Mégantic as sombre concert marks 10-year anniversary of deadly explosion
CBC
Walking up the steps of the Sainte-Agnès de Lac-Mégantic church overlooking what used to be a bustling downtown core, Louise Latulipe was thinking back to 10 years ago.
The night before a train carrying 72 tank cars of crude oil levelled the core of the town located in Quebec's Eastern Townships just north of Maine, Latulipe was asleep, a few houses away.
The noise just past 1 a.m. woke her up.
"I thought it was a plane crashing overhead. We walked to the corner and that's when we saw what was happening," said Latulipe.
Exactly 10 years later, Latulipe attended a concert at the church — the first of a series of events marking the 10-year anniversary of one of Canada's worst rail disasters.
The town was destroyed and 47 people were killed.
"I felt it my duty to be here," said Latulipe, adding that she often visits the memorial throughout the year.
"It's my way of saying rest in peace."
Alongside dozens of residents, she entered the church at sunset just before 7 p.m. — listening to a baroque music concert with the ensemble Le Petit Rien.
On Thursday just after 1 a.m., the town will hold a candlelight vigil to mark the moment the train started rolling toward Lac-Mégantic. At 11 a.m., they will hold a commemorative mass and later that evening there will be a concert in the Parc des Vétérans.
The town's Musi-Café will hold its own concert on Friday at 9 p.m.
Lise Michaud and her husband Yvon Vanasse drove to Lac-Mégantic for the first time since July 6, 2013, to attend the commemoration. Ten years ago they were staying at a local inn when the train derailed.
"I'm feeling sad and heavy," said Michaud. She says being back in town made her have unusual dreams.
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