(Newswire.net — July 07, 2013) Calgary, AB — Lac-Mégantic, Quebec is devastated by the freight train derailment caused by the detachment of crude oil cars rolling down a hill into the center of town and exploding in the early hours of Saturday morning.
There are still some 40 reported missing and 5 confirmed casualties. The destruction looks like a war zone. The crude oil railcar explosions on Saturday were like bombs causing huge fireballs to light up the night sky.
“Why the train’s brakes stopped working, why it was left alone, we don’t know,” said Christophe Journet a spokesman for the Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway.
Reportedly Friday evening fire crews were called to fight an onboard fire in the freight trains locomotive area at approximately 11:30 p.m. The train was in Nantes at the time. By midnight the firefighters believed that the fire was extinguished. It is unknown whether this incident played a part in the subsequent disaster.
Mr. Journet, a spokesman for the Montreal Maine & Atlantic, said that the train had stopped in Nantes for a routine shift change. Nantes is approximately 12 kilometers from Lac-Mégantic.
After the conductor had confirmed the train’s brakes and safety system were secure he left the night and checked into a nearby hotel.
Edward A. Burkhardt chairman of the Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway said, “We don’t know if the brakes were properly applied to the train and we haven’t been able to get into the fire area in order to inspect.
The train carries a black box that may help to explain the events that occurred after the train was left unattended but the scene is still too intense to search for the box.
A 1 kilometer safety perimeter is still in place due to the dangerous conditions in the heart of the downtown area. There is no word from police when it will be removed.
Lac-Mégantic’s mayor Colette Roy-Laroche stated there is a boil water advisory in effect as a precaution after some oil reportedly leaked into the Chaudière River. Residents are being asked to boil water at least 5 minutes before drinking it.
In the evacuation zone police are patrolling neighborhoods to ensure homes aren’t looted or vandalized.
Investigations are ongoing to determine the cause of this horrific disaster.
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Sources
http://www.mmarail.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZcecexkSBA
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