Lake Megantic Quebec - A commemorative church service will be held in Lake Megantic on Friday to mark the five-year-anniversary of the train derailment that killed 47 people and destroyed part of downtown.
 
Church bells will ring around noon to remember the victims who lost their lives on 6 Jul 2013 after a runaway train hauling tanker cars loaded with volatile crude oil barrelled into the town of 6,000, derailed, and exploded.
 
The service is part of a series of events being held through Sunday to commemorate the tragedy.
 
The town has been slowly rebuilding since the derailment, but many in the area still suffer from post-traumatic stress, according to a 2017 government study.
 
Citizens say some of their stress will be alleviated now that the federal and provincial governments have agreed to fund a 12.8 kilometre bypass track that will take rail traffic away from the downtown area, hopefully by 2022.
 
Three former employees of Montreal Maine & Atlantic (MMA), the defunct railway company at the heart of the disaster, were found not guilty of criminal negligence by a jury last January.
 
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement offering support to citizens marking the grim anniversary of the deadliest rail disaster in modern Canadian history.
 
"Today, we remember the victims, and our thoughts go out to all those whose lives were forever changed," Trudeau said.
 
"The tragedy left scars that cannot be erased, but in the weeks, months, and years that followed, Lake Megantic became a symbol of hope, determination, and solidarity. Today, the people of Lake Megantic continue to show resilience and courage as they rebuild their community."
 
Author unknown.

OKthePK Joint Bar Editor:  Article abridged - timeline removed.