Quebec train derailment explosion decimates small border town

Jul 8, 2013

Quebec train derailment explosion decimates small border town

Jerry Jackson 0 Comment World Canada, disaster

Thirteen people confirmed dead and 37 missing after a train derailment and explosion in Lac-Megantic, Quebec early Saturday. The driverless, runaway fuel train that exploded in a deadly ball of flames in the center of the small Quebec town started rumbling down an empty track just minutes after a fire crew had extinguished a blaze in one of its parked locomotives according to witnesses.

: Firefighters douse blazes after a freight train loaded with oil derailed in Lac-Megantic in Canada’s Quebec province on July 6, 2013, sparking explosions that engulfed about 30 buildings in fire. At least 80 people are missing after a driverless oil tanker train derailed and exploded in the small Canadian town of Lac-Megantic, destroying dozens of buildings. (Francois Laplante-Delagrave/Getty Images)

: Firefighters douse blazes after a freight train loaded with oil derailed in Lac-Megantic in Canada’s Quebec province on July 6, 2013, sparking explosions that engulfed about 30 buildings in fire. At least 80 people are missing after a driverless oil tanker train derailed and exploded in the small Canadian town of Lac-Megantic, destroying dozens of buildings. (Francois Laplante-Delagrave/Getty Images)

: A firefighter stands close to the remains of a train wreckage in Lac Megantic July 8, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: First responders fight burning trains after a train derailment and explosion in Lac-Megantic, Quebec early July 6, 2013. (Transportation Safety Board of Canada via Reuters)

: First responders fight burning trains after a train derailment and explosion in Lac-Megantic, Quebec early July 6, 2013. (Transportation Safety Board of Canada via Reuters)

: The town burns following a train derailment and explosion in Lac Megantic, Quebec, early July 6, 2013. The train was hauling about 50,000 barrels of crude from North Dakota’s Bakken shale development to Irving Oil’s 300,000 barrel per day (bpd) plant in Saint John, New Brunswick. (Jean Gauthier/Reuters)

: The town burns following a train derailment and explosion in Lac Megantic, Quebec, early July 6, 2013. The train was hauling about 50,000 barrels of crude from North Dakota’s Bakken shale development to Irving Oil’s 300,000 barrel per day (bpd) plant in Saint John, New Brunswick. (Jean Gauthier/Reuters)

: Firemen looked at the smoldering remains of a derailed train, Sunday, July 7, 2013, in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, Canada. The train carrying crude oil derailed Saturday in the middle of the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic, triggering a series of explosions and fire that killed at least one person and obliterated the city center. (Lucas Oleniuk/Toronto Star/Zuma Press/MCT)

: The town continues to burn following a train derailment and explosion in Lac Megantic, Quebec, early July 6, 2013. (Jean Gauthier/Reuters)

: The wreckage of a train is pictured after an explosion in Lac Megantic July 6, 2013. Several people were missing after four tank cars of petroleum products exploded in the middle of a small town in the Canadian province of Quebec early on Saturday in a fiery blast that destroyed dozens of buildings. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: Workers and firefighters work around the remains of downtown Lac Megantic July 8, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: Burnt cars are seen among the remains of downtown Lac Megantic July 8, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: The remains of a house are seen after a train explosion in Lac Megantic, July 8, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: The remains of a burnt train are seen in Lac Megantic, July 8, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: The remains of a burnt train are seen in Lac Megantic, July 8, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: Workers and firefighters work on the remains of downtown Lac Megantic July 8, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: The remains of a burnt train are seen in Lac Megantic, July 8, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: A aerial view of the wreckage of the crude oil train is seen in Lac Megantic, July 8, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: Workers and firefighters work on the remains of downtown Lac Megantic, July 8, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: A aerial view of the wreckage of the crude oil train is seen in Lac Megantic, July 8, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: Workers and firefighters work on the remains of downtown Lac Megantic, July 8, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: The remains of a burnt train are seen in Lac Megantic, July 8, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: Workers and firefighters work on the remains of downtown Lac Megantic, July 8, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: The remains of a burnt train are seen in Lac Megantic, July 8, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: The remains of a burnt train are seen in Lac Megantic, July 8, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: Firefighters work at the scene of a train derailment in Lac Megantic, Quebec, July 7, 2013. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters)

: The remains of a home lie in rubble as firefighters continue working on the scene of a train derailment in Lac Megantic, Quebec, July 7, 2013. (Christinne Muschi/Reuters)

: A burnt out vehicle sits near the wreckage of a train car following a train derailment in Lac Megantic, Quebec, July 7, 2013. (Christinne Muschi/Reuters)

: Police redirect residents away from their homes within the evacuation zone of the town of Lac Megantic, Quebec, July 8, 2013. (Christinne Muschi/Reuters)

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