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Lac-Mégantic derailment: 6 accused plead not guilty to federal charges

Lac-Mégantic derailment: 6 accused plead not guilty to federal charges

Six people have pleaded not guilty to charges laid under the Railway Safety Act in relation to the 2013 Lac-Mégantic train derailment that left 47 dead.

Train engineer Tom Harding appeared alongside his lawyer in court Thursday, while the other accused were not in attendance.

All six people were employed by the train company involved in the disaster. Each are facing two charges each of failing to ensure the train was properly braked before it was left unmanned for the night.

Montreal Maine & Atlantic Canada Co. and Montreal Maine & Atlantic Canada Railway Ltd. are facing the same charges.

The six, along with railway traffic controller Richard Labrie, also face a federal Fisheries Act charge for the crude oil that flowed into Lac-Mégantic and the Chaudière River after the accident.

Those charges were not addressed in court Thursday.

Harding, manager of train operations Jean Demaître and railway traffic controller Richard Labrie also face charges of 47 counts of criminal negligence causing death.

The seven individuals facing charges are:

- Robert C. Grindrod, chief executive officer and president.

- Lynne Labonté, general manager of transportation.

- Kenneth Strout, director of operating practices.

- Mike Horan, assistant director.

- Jean Demaître, manager of train operations.

- Thomas Harding, train engineer.

- Richard Labrie, railway traffic controller