2 arrested after collision takes down Hydro-Quebec pylon, cuts power to thousands on South Shore

Two people have been arrested after a collision on Montreal's South Shore caused an electrical pylon to collapse, cutting power to 88,000 Hydro-Quebec customers.

The incident happened at 9:45 p.m. Saturday when an Association des pompiers auxiliaires de la Montérégie (APAM) bus collided with a car, driving off the road and into the pylon, causing it to fall.

Late Sunday evening, Longueuil police (SPAL) confirmed that the drivers of the bus and the car had been arrested.

The driver of the APAM bus, a man in his 60s, is facing charges of dangerous driving causing injury.

The driver of the car was charged with impaired driving.

The crash occurred at the intersection of Chambly Road and the viaduct leading to Highway 30.

"The investigation is continuing and we will eventually determine the chronology of events from the testimonies and evidence gathered," said Ghyslain Vallières, a spokesperson with Longueuil police.

Three people were injured in the accident: two on board the bus and one in the car.

At the height of the event, 88,000 Hydro-Quebec customers were without power due to the pylon collapse.

By Monday morning, power was restored to all the addresses affected by the blackout.

However, the situation caused a number of inconveniences on Sunday.

In particular, Longueuil police says it had to ask those affected by the outage to stop calling 911 for information.

Hydro-Quebec notes the pylon will have to be completely rebuilt, but this will have no impact on service.

The Crown corporation called the situation one of "exceptional nature."

In a press release, APAM confirmed that one of its vehicles was involved in the incident but declined to comment further due to the ongoing police investigation, in which it says it is cooperating fully.

"APAM is sincerely sorry for the inconvenience caused by this accident and our thoughts are with those involved to wish them a speedy recovery," the association wrote.

-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 8, 2024.