GATINEAU, Quebec — A defective weld on a piece of railway track caused two freight trains to crash near Montreal three years ago, killing two people and forcing hundreds to flee poisonous fumes, the Canadian Press reported.
Toxic hydrocarbons spilled in the December, 1999, collision — which happened near Mont-St-Hilaire, about 30 kilometres east of Montreal — forced about 350 families from their homes and closed a stretch of highway for five days.
The Transportation Safety Board report recommends that Transport Canada review emergency plans for the transport of hydrocarbons and the requirements for quality control of thermite welds.