The mayor of a Canadian town where 47 people were killed in a rail disaster in 2013 has complained to Netflix after images of the incident were used in the hit sci-fi film Bird Box.

The accident happened when a train carrying crude oil exploded in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, and the BBC reports that Netflix confirmed that footage of the disaster was included in a montage sequence illustrating an attack.

Julie Morin, mayor of Lac-Mégantic said: “We are looking for assurances from Netflix that they are going to remove [the footage]. You can be sure we are going to follow up on this, and our citizens are on our side.”

Canadian viewers had earlier become aware that images of the disaster had also been used in another Netflix show, the science fiction series Travelers. The show’s executive producer, Carrie Mudd, apologised and said the footage had been acquired from an agency called Pond 5.

Morin added: “It’s hard enough for our citizens to see these images when they are used normally and respectfully on the news. Just imagine, to have them used as fiction, as if they were invented.”

According to the BBC, Netflix – already under fire over the “Bird Box challenge” phenomenon – says it will not be removing the footage used in Bird Box. Mudd promised that the scene in Travelers will be replaced.