Explosions from derailment of train carrying crude oil through Lac-M?gantic force 2,000 from homes, several reported missing, 37 people confirmed dead

[Emily]

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montre...ment-fire.html

Quebec town rocked by explosions, fire after derailment
Train derailment in Lac-M?gantic forces 1,000 from homes as several reported missing
CBC News
Posted: Jul 6, 2013 6:19 AM ET
Last Updated: Jul 6, 2013 12:20 PM ET
1,000 evacuated from their homes

1-kilometre wide security perimeter

Several missing, feared dead

Over 100 firefighters battle flames

For help finding missing people: 1-819-583-2441[/LIST]

Lac-Megantic train derailment: videos, photos from the scene


See this thread for detailed coverage: (Diane Morin )
Qu?bec / Lac M?gantic - Gigantesque incendie apr?s l'explosion d'un train de p?trole

[Diane Morin]

Re: Explosions from derailment of train carrying crude oil through Lac-M?gantic force 1,000 from homes, several reported missing

People missing after train derailment, explosions in Quebec
07/06/2013 12:03 PM The Canadian Press
Share

Smoke rises from railway cars that were carrying crude oil after derailing in downtown Lac Megantic, Que, on July 6, 2013. Source: Surete du Quebec
A large swath of a Quebec town was demolished on Saturday after a train derailment sparked several explosions and a blaze that sent spectacular flames shooting metres into the sky.

Up to 1,000 people were forced from their homes in Lac-Megantic, about 250 kilometres east of Montreal.

Some people were reported missing, although Quebec provincial police Lt. Michel Brunet said it was too early to say if there were casualties.

Flames and billowing smoke could be seen several hours after the derailment, which involved a 73-car train carrying crude oil.

Authorities set up perimeters as firefighters battled to douse the persistent blaze which was still going despite a steady drizzle.

Worried residents looked on behind the perimeters amid fears some of their friends and loved ones may have died in bars and in their homes after the early-morning derailment.

?We?re told some people are missing but they may just be out of town or on vacation,? Brunet told a news conference.

?We?re checking all that, so I can?t tell you at the moment whether there are any victims or people who are injured.?

/.../

http://www.citynews.ca/2013/07/06/people-missing-after-train-derailment-explosions-in-quebec/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[Diane Morin]

Re: Explosions from derailment of train carrying crude oil through Lac-M?gantic force 1,000 from homes, several reported missing

Lac-Megantic Explosions, Fire Sparked By Train Derailment (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/06/lacmegantic-explosions-fi_n_3554360.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

[Diane Morin]

Re: Explosions from derailment of train carrying crude oil through Lac-M?gantic force 1,000 from homes, several reported missing

UPDATE 3-Runaway freight train explodes, levels center of Canada town

Sat Jul 6, 2013 1:50pm EDT
(Releads with details of accident)

By Mathieu Belanger

(Reuters) - A driverless freight train carrying tankers of petroleum products derailed at high speed and exploded into a giant fireball in the middle of a small Canadian town early on Saturday, destroying dozens of buildings and leaving an unknown number of people feared missing.

The disaster occurred shortly after 1 a.m. (0500 GMT) when the runaway train with 73 cars sped into Lac-Megantic, a picturesque lakeside town of about 6,000 people near the border with Maine, and came off the rails. Witnesses said the town center was crowded at the time.

Four of the pressurized tank cars caught fire and blew up in a fireball that mushroomed many hundreds of feet up into the air.

Although police said they could not yet get close enough to determine the number of victims from the still-burning fires, an aerial photograph showed widespread devastation in the town center. Police also said that some in the town were worried because they could not reach missing family or friends by phone.

An official from Montreal, Maine & Atlantic, the firm that operated the train, said the train had been parked some distance away from the town and no one on board when it derailed.

"We're not sure what happened, but the engineer did everything by the book. He had parked the train and was waiting for his relief ... somehow, the train got released," vice president of marketing Joseph R. McGonigle told Reuters.

/.../

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/06/canada-train-idUSL2N0FC08C20130706?feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews

[Diane Morin]

Re: Explosions from derailment of train carrying crude oil through Lac-M?gantic force 1,000 from homes, several reported missing

7 July 2013 Last updated at 03:49

Canada train blast: Lac-Megantic death toll set to rise

Eyewitnesses say the streets "were filled with fire"

Police have said they expect more people to be found dead after a runaway train carrying light crude oil exploded in the Canadian town of Lac-Megantic.

The blast sent a fireball and black smoke into the air, killing one and forcing the evacuation of 1,000 people.

Dozens of buildings were destroyed in the town, about 250km (155 miles) east of Montreal.

They include a bar full of customers. Police are trying to account for dozens of missing people.

The train's cars reportedly uncoupled from a parked engine and derailed early on Saturday.

Rail company officials said the train had been immobilised in a neighbouring village before a scheduled crew change, but for an unknown reason had then started rolling downhill into Lac-Megantic.

Eyewitnesses said that by the time the driverless train reached the town it was travelling at considerable speed.

'Like a movie'
The search for more bodies is expected to continue at dawn.

Local media have reported up to 100 people missing.

MAP

"We have already confirmed one death and we expect there will be others," said police spokesman Guy Lapointe.

/.../

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23215855

[Pathfinder]

Re: Explosions from derailment of train carrying crude oil through Lac-M?gantic force 1,000 from homes, several reported missing

5 things confirmed in the Lac-M?gantic train blast

Cause of crash and total number of dead still not known

CBC News
Posted: Jul 7, 2013 1:34 PM ET
Last Updated: Jul 7, 2013 1:28 PM ET

...
Fatalities and missing
While officials have warned they expect the death toll to rise, five deaths were confirmed within the safety perimeter as of late Sunday morning. The bodies have been sent to Montreal for autopsies. Another 40 people are officially listed as missing.

Tankers still burning
It?s still unclear how many of the train?s 72 cars were involved in the initial blast and fire. However, last night, officials said five tankers were still burning and posed a risk for further explosions. The Lac-M?gantic fire chief said two were still a concern on Sunday morning.

Water supply in Lac-M?gantic
On Sunday night, town officials made an appeal for more potable water after a line was damaged inside the containment area. The town?s mayor said Sunday morning that the pipe was repaired and water has been restored to most areas. A preventative boil water advisory remains in effect because of the disruption to the line. The mayor stressed Sunday that there is no known contamination to the drinking water reserves.

Evacuations
Soon after the initial fire and explosion ? and smaller explosions that followed ? 1,000 residents were told to leave their homes. Later in the day on Saturday, 1,000 more people were told to leave over concerns about air quality...

Train had no engineer
The president and CEO of Rail World Inc., the parent company of Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway, said the train was parked uphill of Lac-M?gantic before the incident. The engineer had finished his run and the company believes the brakes had been properly applied. The engineer left the train at 11: 25 p.m. and went to a hotel for the night. The derailment happened less than two hours later.

More...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2013/07/07/lac-megantic-train-explosion-missing-dead-confirmed.html

[Pathfinder]

Re: Explosions from derailment of train carrying crude oil through Lac-M?gantic force 2,000 from homes, several reported missing, 5 deaths

<TABLE border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=left>Press Release - Derailment at Lac Megantic</TD></TR><TR><TD align=left>Dated: Saturday, July 06, 2013

For Immediate Release:
Dated: Saturday, July 6, 2013

Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA)
Derailment in Lac-M?gantic, Quebec

At approximately 1:15 AM EST, an eastbound Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway train with 72 carloads of crude oil and 5 locomotive units derailed at the Rue Frontenac road crossing in Lac-M?gantic, Quebec.

Early reports indicate that the train was stopped and tied down by the locomotive engineer at 11:25 PM on the mainline at Nantes, a station approximately 6.8 miles west of Lac Megantic, for a crew change. Subsequently, the train moved downhill into the town of Lac-M?gantic, where the derailment occurred. The engineer was not on the train, but had proceeded to his resting point at a hotel in Lac-M?gantic. He is safe.

Railway personnel were able to pull 13 carloads intact from the site at the rear of the train. At this time we don?t know how many cars are derailed. Further details will be gathered from the event recorder onboard.

We have reports of explosions and buildings in the city on fire, and a number of fatalities and injuries. Emergency response teams are at the site coordinating rescue efforts, but access to the site is limited while they continue to fight the fires.

MMA management and employees are devastated at this news. We extend heartfelt condolences to those residents of Lac-M?gantic who have lost their homes and businesses, and particularly those who have suffered injuries and lost loved ones. We intend to have representatives on site as soon as possible to lend assistance to the community and to deal with individual issues coming out of this disaster.

MMA will cooperate with government safety agencies in determining cause.

We will supplement this information as soon as we can.
...

http://www.mmarail.com/sections/news/files/MMA_7.6.2013_Press.Release.pdf

http://www.mmarail.com/mma_news.php

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[Pathfinder]

Re: Explosions from derailment of train carrying crude oil through Lac-M?gantic force 2,000 from homes, several reported missing, 5 deaths

For Immediate Release:
Dated: Sunday, July 7, 2013: 1615 EST

Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway (MMA)
July 6, 2013 Derailment in Lac-M?gantic, Quebec (Update)

Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway wishes to provide updated information on yesterday?s tragic train accident at Lac-M?gantic, Quebec. We are advised the fires are largely extinguished, and it appears the fire brigade will finish that part of their task shortly. Provincial and Federal authorities have taken control of the derailment area, and MMA personnel have not been able to enter to continue their investigation concerning cause and to plan recovery operations.

There are a dozen MMA representatives on hand in Lac-M?gantic, with more arriving continuously. Many have been there since yesterday afternoon, in spite of statements that MMA people have not been available. MMA has established a command center in the Municipal Building. On hand also is Yves Bourdon, MMA board member, who will be the ?voice of the MMA? in dealing with municipal, provincial and Federal officials, emergency personnel, relief organizations and affected individuals and property owners. Also on hand is Robert Grindrod, MMA?s President and CEO.

MMA staff are getting organized to deal with immediate needs of residents and to establish a process for the filing and handling of claims. MMA intends to do all it can to address the damages incurred. MMA has been in touch with the Red Cross and local relief agencies to offer its assistance in providing accommodations, food and other necessities, and is willing to deal one-on-one with residents to address their needs. We will advise telephone numbers as soon as we can.

While the governmental investigation of the accident?s cause has largely prevented MMA from completing its own investigation, one fact that has emerged is the locomotive of the oil train parked at Nantes station was shut down subsequent to the departure of the engineer who had handled the train from Farnham, which may have resulted in the release of air brakes on the locomotive that was holding the train in place. As mentioned above, we don?t have complete information concerning this incident, but will cooperate with government authorities as they continue their investigation.

To improve our communications, this press release and future messages will also be issued in French.

MMA people remain in a state of shock over this incident, and are committed to assisting our neighbors in Lac-M?gantic to make a complete recovery as quickly as possible. Our thoughts and pray with those who have suffered injury and lost family members.
...

http://www.mmarail.com/sections/news/files/MMA_7.7.2013_Press%20Release_1415.EST.pdf

[sharon sanders]

Re: Explosions from derailment of train carrying crude oil through Lac-M?gantic force 2,000 from homes, several reported missing, 5 deaths

Lac Megantic: Death toll rises in Quebec train derailment explosion
Ravaged site is now being treated as a ?crime scene? as the railway says someone shut down a locomotive keeping the brakes on.

By: Allan Woods Quebec Bureau, Jessica McDiarmid News reporter, Paul Hunter Feature reporter, Published on Sun Jul 07 2013


Republish
LAC-M?GANTIC,QUE.?So much is lost. Five people confirmed dead, 40 missing.

more...

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/07/07/lac_megantic_death_toll_rises_in_quebec_train_derailment_explosion.html

[Emily]

Re: Explosions from derailment of train carrying crude oil through Lac-M?gantic force 2,000 from homes, several reported missing, 5 deaths

From the article Sharon posted above -

There are two ways to shut down the fifth unit: There?s an emergency lever on the outside of the locomotive that anyone wandering by could access. Or, there are a number of levers and buttons inside the unlocked cabin.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2...explosion.html

This security issue is not only present in Canada. A couple of years ago KOMO News in Seattle did an investigation after they were contacted by concerned citizens who had been ignored by the railroads and regulators:

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/133582203.html

Cantwell urges TSA to help close railway security gaps
By Liz Rocca Published: Nov 9, 2011 at 7:29 PM PDT Last Updated: Nov 9, 2011 at 8:04 PM PDT
[snip]
But Pistole already knew the Problem Solvers were able to board running and unattended trains all across Washington state, some just miles from major oil refineries. The investigation found trains hauling dangerous chemicals were left unguarded with the key inside...

[Pathfinder]

Re: Explosions from derailment of train carrying crude oil through Lac-M?gantic force 2,000 from homes, several reported missing, 5 deaths

Path to disaster: How Lac-M?gantic?s relationship with rail has long been fraying

SEAN SILCOFF, KIM MACKRAEL AND JUSTIN GIOVANNETTI
LAC-M?GANTIC, QUE. ? The Globe and Mail
Published Monday, Jul. 08 2013, 10:39 PM EDT
Last updated Monday, Jul. 08 2013, 11:06 PM EDT

Last weekend?s rail disaster in Lac-M?gantic has torn apart the long-standing relationship between a town and railway that defined the municipality for nearly 130 years.

But even before Saturday morning?s deadly derailment of more than 70 oil cars and the ensuing fire that has killed upward of 13 people, forced the evacuation of 2,000 residents and destroyed about 30buildings, safety concerns about the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway had been mounting in the area.

Through interviews with officials and residents and a review of official documents, a picture has emerged of a vibrant Eastern Townships community that had grown increasingly worried about the state and path of a train track that wound through town, crisscrossing city streets and the now-destroyed downtown. Those trains were getting longer, carrying highly flammable crude oil in outdated containers and travelling on tracks that often needed repair.
...
Ray Lafontaine, a local entrepreneur whose son, two daughters-in-law and an employee were lost in the disaster, lashed out at MM&A this week and criticized officials for allowing the railway to run trains carrying petroleum through town. But Mr. Lafontaine was not just an angry resident affected personally: his construction company had performed maintenance work on the tracks, which he told the Sherbrooke Tribune were ?like rolling on overloaded tracks that should have been changed a century ago.?
...

Full text:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/path-to-disaster-how-lac-megantics-relationship-with-rail-has-long-been-fraying/article13085112/

[Emily]

Re: Explosions from derailment of train carrying crude oil through Lac-M?gantic force 2,000 from homes, several reported missing, 13 deaths

http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/09/world/...runaway-train/

Brakes disabled before train exploded in Lac-Megantic, railway chief says
By Eliott C. McLaughlin. Ben Brumfield. Paula Newton and Joe Sterling, CNN
updated 12:25 PM EDT, Tue July 9, 2013
[snip]
Firefighters in the nearby town of Nantes put out a blaze on the train hours before it rolled into Lac-Megantic. Ed Burkhardt, chief executive officer and president of Rail World, the parent company of the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway, told media outlets there's evidence the engine powering the brakes was shut down at some point.

Pressed to elaborate by CTV, Burkhardt wrote in an e-mail exchange, "We are now aware the firefighters shut down the locomotive. By the time (Montreal, Maine & Atlantic) people found out, it was too late."

In earlier comments to the Montreal Gazette, he said the matter needs further investigation, and his company has begun an internal inquiry.

"There are a number of missing pieces here," Burkhardt told the paper, saying he didn't suspect "the event was malicious or an act of terrorism."...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23246450

9 July 2013 Last updated at 12:42 ET

Canada train blast: Blame game over Lac-Megantic disaster
[snip]
Fire officials said they notified a regional dispatcher for the train company immediately after the initial blaze was put out.

Chief Lambert told reporters: "We told them what we did and how we did it. There was no discussion of the brakes at that time.

"We were there for the train fire. As for the inspection of the train after the fact, that was up to them."...

National Post (Source: La Presse) - Before and after photos show how train explosion flattened Lac-Megantic?s bustling downtown core:

[Pathfinder]

Re: Explosions from derailment of train carrying crude oil through Lac-M?gantic force 2,000 from homes, several reported missing, 13 deaths

Shocking new Lac-M?gantic explosion video emerges

CBC News
Posted: Jul 9, 2013 1:10 PM ET
Last Updated: Jul 10, 2013 9:10 AM ET

Warning: video below contains harsh language

<IFRAME height=315 src="//www.youtube.com/embed/mRb3JHsiqfA" frameBorder=0 width=560 allowfullscreen></IFRAME>

Lac-M?gantic resident Adrien Aubert filmed the tanker train explosion in his Quebec community early Saturday morning, and posted the video online.

"All of downtown is on fire," Aubert said in the video as a fireball erupts in the Quebec town of 6,000 people.

Aubert was about 200 metres from the explosion, which destroyed much of the town's core.
...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2013/07/09/quebec-lac-megantic-eyewitness-video.html

[Pathfinder]

Re: Explosions from derailment of train carrying crude oil through Lac-M?gantic force 2,000 from homes, several reported missing, 13 deaths

Lac-M?gantic death toll rises to 20

Police say they have identified 1 of the victims

CBC News
Posted: Jul 10, 2013 3:34 AM ET
Last Updated: Jul 10, 2013 7:07 PM ET

Police say five more bodies have been found in Lac-M?gantic, bringing the toll up to 20 confirmed dead, after a train derailment that set of a series of explosions in the centre of the Quebec town.

The number of people unaccounted for, which includes the recovered bodies, stands at about 50.
...
The engineer in charge of the train that derailed and exploded in Lac-M?gantic is "under police control," according to the head of the rail company.
...
At an impromptu news conference on Wednesday, Ed Burkhardt, the president of Rail World Inc., remained unflappable as he addressed a flurry of reporters who crowded around him.
...
?It was our employee that was responsible for setting the brakes on the train ? That employee is under investigation and is not working.?
...
Burkhardt said the company had originally trusted their employee when he told them he had applied all 11 hand brakes. However, he said he now has his doubts about the engineer's story.

?We think that he applied some handbrakes, the problem is that he didn?t apply enough of them,? he said.
...
Flags at Quebec's public buildings as well as flags on Canada's Peace Tower will be lowered to half-mast for a week as Quebecers honour those who died and those who are still unaccounted for in the Lac-M?gantic rail disaster.
...

Full text:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2013/07/10/lac-megantic-quebec-train-explosion-investigation.html

[Pathfinder]

Re: Explosions from derailment of train carrying crude oil through Lac-M?gantic force 2,000 from homes, several reported missing, 20 deaths

8 victims ID'd in Lac-M?gantic, coroner's office says

28 people now confirmed dead by Quebec provincial police

CBC News
Posted: Jul 12, 2013 3:56 AM ET
Last Updated: Jul 12, 2013 5:12 PM ET

The Quebec coroner's office says it has confirmed the identity of another seven victims in Lac-M?gantic, raising the total number of known victims to eight.

At a news conference at 4:30 p.m. Friday, spokesperson Genevi?ve Guilbault said the victims' families were currently being notified, and the identities would be made public 24 hours later.

S?ret? du Qu?bec Insp. Michel Forget said an additional four people have been confirmed dead after the July 6 derailment and explosion of a runaway train carrying oil, raising the total number of deceased to 28, and another 22 presumed dead.

Forget said because of gas fumes emanating from contaminated soil, police investigators had to change their search area. He said they are ventilating the zone before returning to the contaminated area.

More...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2013/07/12/lac-megantic-quebec-train-explosion-investigation.html