Bus crashes into electrical pylon, causing massive power outage on the South Shore

Tens of thousands of households on Montreal’s South Shore have been without electricity since Saturday night after a bus crashed into an electrical pylon.

At the height of the outage, which started at about 10:30 p.m., approximately 90,000 Hydro-Quebec customers lost power. 

As of Sunday morning, more than 70,000 customers still had no electricity and power is not expected to be restored until 5 p.m., according to Hydro-Quebec. 

A map of the power outage on Montreal’s South Shore on Sunday, July 7, 2024. (Source: HYdro-Quebec)

“A bus collided with a pylon containing two 315 kV lines, causing it to fall. The pylon is located at the corner of Chemin Chambly and Autoroute 30 on Montreal’s South Shore,” reads a statement on Hydro-Quebec’s website.

“Other Hydro-Québec crews will be maneuvering to restore power to as many customers as possible via other lines. However, some customers will still be without power as a result of these operations. Crews will be at work for several hours.”

Bus collided with vehicle, then hit hydro tower

Longueuil police said the bus was carrying volunteer firefighters when it collided with another vehicle, veered off the road, and then crashed into the hydro tower, causing the structure to collapse.

Power had to be cut for safety reasons and will remain offline for several hours.

Longueuil police respond to a collision between a bus and a vehicle on chemin de Chambly on Saturday, July 6, 2024. The bus then struck a hydro tower, causing it to collapse. (Source: Longueuil police)

Two people on board the bus were injured and were sent to hospital but police say their injuries are not life-threatening.