Quebec town rocked by explosions, fire after derailment

[OffsideSpecialist]

Worry is growing among residents of the tight-knit community of Lac-Mégantic, as people search for missing friends and loved ones after a train derailment sparked a series of explosions and a major fire that continues to burn.

The train carrying crude oil derailed overnight in the heart of Lac-Mégantic in Quebec's Eastern Townships, forcing 1,000 people from their homes.

Witnesses reported between four and six explosions overnight in the town of about 6,000 people. The derailment happened at about 1 a.m. ET, about 250 kilometres east of Montreal.

It is not yet known if there are any casualties, but according to Radio-Canada 60 people have been reported missing.

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

Geez, sounds like an awful story. A lot of people lost everything. I wish everyone there the best of luck.

[The Goon]

That's a terrible story.

Much like people got behind Alberta, hopefully the country can help out with this tragedy.

[Canuck-Hater]

Around 30 buildings destroyed. Can't believe the amount of destruction.
http://ca.reuters.com/article/topNew...96505L20130706

[Ashartus]

Originally Posted by The Goon

That's a terrible story.

Much like people got behind Alberta, hopefully the country can help out with this tragedy.

The difference here is it isn't an act of nature, so the financial cost should be completely the burden of the responsible company. In terms of immediate help and support the country should definitely be with them though.

[flamesfan6]

I'd like to know how the cars derailed from the engines, sounds like it was parked and somehow the cars detached and rolled down a hill... hopefully it wasn't someone doing it on purpose.

"Somehow the train got loose and that's a mystery to us," said Joe McGonigle, MMA's head of sales and marketing. "The engine was uncoupled from the train itself and that locomotive power unit ended up a half mile from the incident."

http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/1-confirm...#ixzz2YIYRi3Ir

[Jedi Ninja]

They are reporting that it was driverless at the time of the accident.

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/07/06...off-explosions

[SebC]

This is part of the risk we take when we don't build pipelines.

[BlackArcher101]

[4X4]

As soon as I read that they didn't know how the cars got unshackled, it totally sounded like teens up to no good. C'mon, you were all thinking it too.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by 4X4

As soon as I read that they didn't know how the cars got unshackled, it totally sounded like teens up to no good. C'mon, you were all thinking it too.

Nope I was thinking environmental extremists trying to prove a point and watching it all go wrong.

I would bet that there will be arrests at some point. Its a little too weird to be an accident.

[nik-]

I'm thinking more ####ty old safety equipment or user error as opposed to malicious acts.

[guzzy]

If pipelines don't get approved North America will see a massive increase in train transport for crude products.

Pipelines are the safest form of transport. If you establish regulations on emergency shutdown valve frequency and frequency of smart pigging you increase the safety of the lines. Unfortunately most proponents of pipelines are being bankrolled by places like Venezuela. If you oppose Alberta oil because it is dirty but accept foreign oil because the practice is cleaner you have bigger problems. Alberta oil is the most ethical oil in the world.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Ashartus

The difference here is it isn't an act of nature, so the financial cost should be completely the burden of the responsible company. In terms of immediate help and support the country should definitely be with them though.

I'm sure the company is going to do it's best to pass off blame to someone else and it won't be as simple as paying people out. There are going to be court cases and investigations.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by 4X4

As soon as I read that they didn't know how the cars got unshackled, it totally sounded like teens up to no good. C'mon, you were all thinking it too.

Disclaimer - I worked IT for a railroad, not in the field

It's a bit more involved than just uninformed teens could manage - even if you did decouple the locomotive from the string of cars, as soon as physical separation occurred, the brake pipe connection would also sever, resulting in an immediate emergency application of the air brakes on every single car in the string.

It's more likely that the train did roll away with the locomotive attached, and that it came uncoupled as it ran along uncontrolled - with nobody onboard, it could have exceeded the speed that section of track could handle, or the slack in the train was running in and out, or something else that caused an initial derailment of one or more cars, resulting in the emergency brake application when the air line disconnected. At that point, the rest of the cars derailed and the locomotive kept hurtling forward under its own momentum.

[Swift]

I may have misheard, but on CBC I thought I heard them say that a fire broke out on the train previously. Fire department was called and they put it out. Two hours later, this incident happened.

I don't know anything about trains, but that seems like suspicious activity going on. Again, I may have misheard though.

[flylock shox]

About 40 still missing. I don't see how, in a town of 6000, 40 people could go missing without their loved ones hearing from them by now if the missing were able to make contact. I have to think a number of victims must have died without readily identifiable remains.

What an awful story for a little town

[Machiavelli]

Yeah, I think the theory is that most of the missing were basically vaporized

[FlamesAddiction]

Brutal.

I grew up in a town a little bigger than that and if 40 people were missing, then everyone in the town knows at least one person with little or no degrees of separation.

I am heartbroken for these poor people.

[Cowperson]

Originally Posted by flylock shox

About 40 still missing. I don't see how, in a town of 6000, 40 people could go missing without their loved ones hearing from them by now if the missing were able to make contact. I have to think a number of victims must have died without readily identifiable remains.

What an awful story for a little town

Looks like they'll find most of those people in the local bar . . . .

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/07...t-five-people/

Cowperson

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by Cameron Swift

I may have misheard, but on CBC I thought I heard them say that a fire broke out on the train previously. Fire department was called and they put it out. Two hours later, this incident happened.

I don't know anything about trains, but that seems like suspicious activity going on. Again, I may have misheard though.

i heard a similar story on the news.......i'd imagine whomever gave teh all clear, likely is not sleeping very well.....