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XL an insurer to railway that had deadly Canada crash

This aerial photo, workers comb through the debris after a train derailed causing explosions of railway cars carrying crude oil Tuesday, July 9, 2013 in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, Canada on Tuesday July 9, 2013. At least thirteen people were confirmed dead and nearly 40 others were still missing in a catastrophe that raised questions about the safety of transporting oil by rail instead of pipeline. (AP Photo/ The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson)

Bermuda’s XL Group said it provided Insurance to the railway that had Canada’s worst rail disaster in 27 years.XL Group Plc, which is Dublin-based, said it’s among the insurers of that railroad.A spokesperson for XL in the Bermuda office told The Royal Gazette: “XL does not publicly discuss details regarding our clients but can confirm that we are an insurer of the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway.“As such, we are on the scene working closely with the company and authorities and our thoughts and prayers are with the community of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec.”A Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway train carrying 72 car loads of crude oil exploded July 6 when it rolled from its parking spot and crashed in the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic, leaving as many as 60 people dead or missing and destroying local businesses.Losses for insurers could include death benefits, business- interruption costs for commercial clients and expenses tied to replacing damaged property. Edward Burkhardt, chairman of the railroad, said in a media appearance that he spent the weekend coordinating with insurance companies.“We have a lot of insurance,” Burkhardt said. “I’m not going to advise at this point what our limits are. I think our limits are going to be tested.”Weirsky declined to comment on the specifics of its policy with Montreal Maine, a unit of closely held Rail World Inc.