In the early hours of 6 July 2013, a runaway freight train carrying crude oil derailed in the centre of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, triggering massive explosions that killed 47 people and destroyed the heart of the town. The train had been left unattended on a steep grade just kilometres away, secured by too few hand brakes and operating under cost-cutting practices that left no margin for error. In this episode of Compact Disasters, we examine how a chain of small decisions led to one of Canada’s deadliest rail disasters, and why Lac-Mégantic became a turning point in the global debate over oil-by-rail safety.
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