Update: The Death Toll In The Canadian Oil Train Disaster will be 67+

[cali]

There is no chance that those missing survived. 50 are now officially missing in addition to the 13 dead. And there could be more.

A RUNAWAY train carrying oil exploded in the Quebec town of Lac Mégantic on July 6th, creating a fireball that flattened dozens of buildings. It took two days for the town centre to cool sufficiently for searchers to begin sifting the charred debris for the 50 people reported missing. It will be much longer before investigators can provide satisfactory answers to the questions of what happened and why.

For the 6,000 residents of the tourist town situated just west of the border with the United States, the tragedy is intensely personal. Thirteen people are confirmed dead and there is little expectation that anyone in the immediate area of the blast survived. The provincial coroner has already raised the possibility that some were vaporised by the intense heat. The formerly picturesque main street looked like a “war zone”, said Stephen Harper, the prime minister, following a visit on July 7th. Some 2,000 people were forced to leave their homes. Most are expected to be allowed back on July 9th.

<snip>

http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2013/07/canada-s-train-explosion


Lac-Mégantic: Quebec train explosion death toll rises to 13
Quebec police bump up the number of people who are unaccounted for to 50.

<snip>

When the wall of fire emerged from the runaway train that went off the tracks right at Lac Mégantic’s main strip, whole families were sleeping. Young women were tending bar and serving celebratory drinks with close friends and loved ones. Others were entertaining those revellers with song.

Now search teams are combing through what police have labelled a crime scene.

Early Monday morning search crews were still confined to a small portion of the razed area because it was still deemed too dangerous — the risk of more explosions, of fires reigniting, of building carcasses falling down. But by day’s end, police Sgt. Benoit Richard said, “We can go practically anywhere now.”

<snip>

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/07/08/lacmegantic_quebec_train_blast_death_toll_rises_to_13.html

[Brickbat]

1. Devastating.

[cali]

2. It's incredible that the fire was so hot that it vaporized people

and the environment, particularly the Chaudiere River and the damage to the town are also devastating.

[KittyWampus]

8. I have avoided seeing any photos. Don't think I can handle it.

[cali]

16. they are shocking. It really does look like an atomic blast went off

big trees burnt from top to bottom, nothing left of buildings at all, etc.

[bullwinkle428]

3. This was Hiroshima-like devastation within the radius

of the blast zone. I can't even imagine the hell those victims went through.

[enlightenment]

4. Cali, I've been reading your posts on this topic

and keeping up with it elsewhere. I noticed yesterday that you commented that DU wasn't reacting much to it - and I agree. I thought this morning I'd post, just to let you know that I am very aware of it . . . I just can't find the words to express how awful this is. The idea that a town has been destroyed - and though it was technically only the center of the town, it still sounds as if there can be no real recovery - and that so many people were literally reduced to ash, most while they were out enjoying their evening, is hard to wrap my head around.

I'm not ignoring this. I just don't know how to respond.

[cali]

5. I understand about how difficult it is to respond to

It is awful beyond description and any comment seems woefully weak. thanks for reading my posts on it.

[enlightenment]

6. Thank you for understanding.

You've been doing a wonderful job of keeping this visible on DU, and I know you're swimming up-stream doing it.

[cali]

7. What a piece of work this guy the chairman of the railway co, Burkhardt is.

<snip>

But his company has been criticized for its initial response to the incident, and for being slow to speak publicly. The first statement on the incident arrived 36 hours after the derailment and explosion demolished the downtown core.

“I think that speaks for itself,” said the NDP’s Thomas Mulcair, leader of the federal opposition, when he toured the town on Sunday.

And François Legault, head of the provincial Coalition Avenir Québec party and former president of Air Transat, also weighed in on Monday about corporate responsibility. “In a disaster,” he said, ”the president’s job is to be there — even if he doesn’t have all the answers.”

For his part, Burkhardt, speaking by phone from Chicago, said he had been active all weekend in the aftermath of the explosion and that he was planning a trip to Lac-Mégantic in the near future. He also said that more help was on the way.

<snip>

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/montreal/M%C3%A9gantic+Montreal+Maine+Atlantic+Railway+chairman/8631093/story.html

[laundry_queen]

12. What scum

"planning a trip....in the near future" WTF? Why isn't he there NOW? Piece of work is right. Disgusting.

Also, he thinks there was tampering but doesn't think it was malicious. Well, that's just a round-about way of blaming the fire department (the Nantes fire department). At the press conference earlier the press asked a question (I'm not sure who was taking the questions - I turned it on late...) paraphrasing - "Has there ever been a time, ever, where a fire department was assigned responsibility for a train at any point in time?" The question was dodged. Unreal. The fire department is rightfully livid at this accusation.

Also the comment, "We have to settle this quickly so people can move on." How about finding the missing first? Jesus.

[cali]

14. and no comment for 36 freakin' hours

to call him a pig would be a terrible insult to those intelligent creatures.

[laundry_queen]

15. Yep. Unforgiveable. nt

[cali]

17. I'm ashamed he's a U.S. citizen and that it's a U.S. company.

[laundry_queen]

9. Not much more to do but K&R

Thanks for keeping this story alive. It's absolutely horrific. They are now asking for DNA samples from families to identify possible pieces of remains. Just horrific.

[polly7]

10. Yes,

they were saying a few days ago they'd be lucky in most cases to find enough dental evidence on scene to even test. Just horrific.

[cordelia]

11. Adding my rec with thanks for keeping this visible.

The devastation is beyond belief.

Thanks for your updates.

[Starry Messenger]

13. k&r

My area has been absorbed with plane crash news, so thank you for posting these updates. I haven't Sen anything about it in my social networks either. Devastating.

[FarCenter]

18. The 50+ missing includes the 13 unidentified corpses

Names don't go off the missing list until the corpse is identified.

[cali]

19. You're right. The article I posted in the OP is wrong

I'd say thank goodness for small blessings but that seems almost obscene.