Church bells rang out 47 times Monday afternoon in Lac-Megantic to mark the two-year anniversary of the rail disaster that shocked the nation.

Two years ago Monday, a train carrying nearly eight million litres of oil barrelled into the downtown area of the town, derailed and exploded. Forty-seven people died, another 2,000 people were forced from their homes, and much of the downtown core was destroyed.

"We felt it was important to provide citizens the opportunity to pause together to remember that tragic night,” said Mayor Colette Roy Laroche in a news release.

About 200 people showed up to the ceremony, which was was held on the steps of St. Agnes Church and began at noon. A mass dedicated to the memory of the victims was held there Sunday morning.

"It's the best way to do it, just a moment of silence," said Jean Clusiault, who lost his eldest daughter Kathy in the explosion.

For others, the pain is still too fresh. Yannick Gagne, owner of the Musi-Cafe, the popular bar where half the victims died, chose not to attend the ceremony.

"It's still painful to think of my friends, my family," he said.

There is some relief in sight for survivors.. They have accepted a $435 million settlement fund from two dozen companies involved in the derailment

But much uncertainty remains about what shape the town will take once the clean-up crews are done.

Although decontamination is clearly far from over, the city has issued a construction permit for a house by the lake, the first in the red zone since the explosion. More permits are expected to come in the fall.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair and Premier Philippe Couillard were among politicians to extend their best wishes to the community in statements issued Monday, but there were no politicians present at the event.

That was by design -- residents wanted the ceremony to be a low-key affair, meant for residents to get together and quietly mark the sombre anniversary.

According to the Transportation Safety Board, six million litres of petroleum crude oil were released when the train went off the tracks. Decontamination work continues to this day at the crash site, but will be suspended at noon for the moment of silence.

In a report released last year, the TSB outlined 18 distinct causes and contributing factors to the crash, implicating train company Montreal Maine & Atlantic, Transport Canada, and the train engineer.

Last month, the federal government charged a number of individuals and the company involved following an investigation that found an insufficient number of handbrakes were applied to the train.