Canada Didn't Adequately Audit Rail Firm Before Disaster

The Canadian government did not adequately audit the rail firm at the center of last year's Lac-Megantic oil-by-rail disaster, in which 47 people died, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said on Tuesday.

In its final report into the accident, the independent agency called for more thorough audits of safety management systems and said more physical defenses were needed to prevent runaway trains.

The company that operated the train, Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway Ltd (MMA), filed for bankruptcy protection last year.

(Reporting by Allison Lampert, writing by David Ljunggren; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)