1 killed, millions plunge into darkness after ice storm hits Canada

OTTAWA: After an ice storm hit the Quebec province of Canada on Thursday, thousands of people plunged into darkness and 1 person was reportedly killed, Canada-based CTV News reported. After freezing rain tore across the province, blacking out neighbourhoods and toppling many trees, hundreds of thousands of homes are still without power.

However, the public utility that manages the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in the Canadian province of Quebec, Hydro-Quebec stated that the power would be restored to 70 to 80 per cent of customers by Friday night.

705,000 people were still without power as of 10 p.m., with little over half of those (approximately 367,000) residing in Montreal. In order to provide housing for those without electricity, the City of Montreal launched six emergency overnight shelters on Thursday evening, CTV News reported.

Early on Wednesday, a freezing rain storm moved across southern Quebec, covering large areas with treacherous ice. Trees toppled over, some of which hit automobiles and some landed on electrical lines due to the ice storm. On Thursday, when visiting Montreal, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Canada remains on standby for assistance.