One of the worst Canadian railroad disasters in history occurred in the railroad town of Lac-Megantic, in Eastern Quebec, a small town with a population of just over 5,500 people. The tragedy occurred at 1:15 AM on July 6, 2013, when an unattended 74-car freight train carrying crude oil derailed in the heart of downtown Lac-Megantic spill crude oil and creating massive explosions and fires that took almost 3 days to extinguish. At the end of it, 42 people were confirmed dead, 5 missing and presumed dead, 36 of 39 downtown buildings were also totally destroyed.

Yet this disaster could have been prevented months if not decades before the event.