Accident at Lac-Bouchette

The Accident at Lac-Bouchette occurred on July 17, 1993, when a minibus carrying senior citizens collided with a van, resulting in an inferno that killed 19, just outside of Lac-Bouchette, Quebec on highway 155.

Accident
On July 17, 1993, a minibus carrying an elderly congregation of parishioners from the towns of Verchères, Quebec and Contrecoeur, Quebec, all from the same church, were returning home on highway 155 after a pilgrimage to the Roman Catholic shrine, le Ermitage Saint-Antoine, in the village of Lac-Bouchette. Also returning home that day on the same highway in the opposite direction were a family of forestry workers from Lac-Bouchette travelling in a van that was towing a trailer full of tanks of diesel fuel. When the two vehicles crossed paths the van lost control of its heavy trailer and collided with the minibus head on. The diesel ignited causing an inferno that engulfed both vehicles. In the end 17 parishioners were dead including 2 occupants from the van. Two survivors were pulled from the wreckage by passers-by, one from the bus and one from the van.

Legacy
The Lac-Bouchette accident is the third deadliest traffic accident in Quebec history and sixth in Canadian history.