Canada - 47 killed as train explodes, Lac-Megantic, QC, 6 July 2013

[BunnyHop]

My Heart and prayers go out to all.

 

[Betty P]

The use of a 1 person train crew on long trains carrying hazardous material is an accident waiting to happen. There's no way 1 engineer can manage to work a 12 hour day, then stop the train, check the brake system, climb on a dozen or more cars and set their hand brakes. The railroad also failed to require closing and locking the switch and setting a derailler - a device that, in the event the train moves unattended, causes it to stop or derail.

If the Canadian government learns anything from this experience, they should change regulations ASAP to require 2 or 3 man crews on these trains.

 

[matou]

‘Everybody loved her’: Town mourns ‘friends, brothers, sisters’ lost in tragic train explosion

Highlights some of the victims of the explosion with their photos.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/07/10/lac-megantic-victims/

 

[mysteriew]

50 feared dead in Lac-Mégantic train derailment

Police meet with families, warn them to prepare for loss


snip.....He said his company is "not accepting responsibility" while facts are still being gathered. He defended its past safety record and said the company follows industry practice.

"I think we had quite a reasonable safety record until the other day when we blew it all," he said.


Province announces $60 million in aid
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...tic-quebec-train-explosion-investigation.html

Doesn't this dumba** understand that even if it was his employee's fault (which is still being investigated), it was still his company's responsibility? And their "good record" is being reported as 129 accidents since 2003, some of them minor.

Ok Quebec Province is setting aside $6 mil for the town. I hope our feds hide their heads in shame. They decided to give nothing to West Texas, yet both towns were in a similar situation.

 

[matou]

More info about the victims coming in. Children were killed too :cry:

Faces of the Lac-Megantic disaster: Scroll over photos for details

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/07/10/lacmagentic_derailment_faces_of_the_disaster.html

 

[tarabull]

Inferno seen from space:

http://m.nbcnews.com/science/inferno-quebec-train-derailment-seen-space-6C10593639

 

[matou]

Lac-Mégantic toll rises to 24

First victim identified as 93-year-old Elianne Parenteau

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...tic-quebec-train-explosion-investigation.html

 

[roseofsharon]

Lac-Mégantic toll rises to 24

First victim identified as 93-year-old Elianne Parenteau

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...tic-quebec-train-explosion-investigation.html

Awww, RIP dear lady. Such a tragedy. Thoughts and prayers to all the citizens of Lac-Megantic.

 

[Snoopster]

More info about the victims coming in. Children were killed too :cry:

Faces of the Lac-Megantic disaster: Scroll over photos for details

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/07/10/lacmagentic_derailment_faces_of_the_disaster.html

At least one young one was saved out of pure random luck:

Jimmy Sirois and Marie-Semie Alliance

Sirois and Alliance lived right near the Musi-Café, at 5047 rue Frontenac, along with their 18-month-old daughter, Milliana, according to the Journal de Montréal. But for a stroke of fate, there might have been three victims. With the heat that descended on the town Friday night, Sirois’ parents came to take the girl to their place in Woborn for an escape from their third-storey apartment. Sirois had to work the next morning. Alliance stayed in to keep him company.

 

[Snoopster]

For some sense of what happened to the different locations in downtown LM, here are before and after photos.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/07/08/before-and-after-photos-show-how-train-explosion-flattened-lac-megantics-bustling-downtown-core/

 

[roseofsharon]

For some sense of what happened to the different locations in downtown LM, here are before and after photos.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/0...attened-lac-megantics-bustling-downtown-core/

OMG, the loss of life and the devastation. It's numbing!

 

[mysteriew]

‘There is no hope,’ investigator tells mother of 28-year-old feared dead in Lac-Megantic

The mother of a 28-year-old aspiring singer said her daughter went into the Musi-Café bar for just a minute, and is now among the 50 presumed dead after a train derailed and exploded in the town of Lac-Megantic, Que.

“She was ready to leave at one o’clock, she went in to get a bottle of water—that is what her boyfriend said… And I think that minute was too much,” said Ginette Cameron, mother of Geneviève Breton. “Because she would never come out.”
http://globalnews.ca/news/711291/th...r-of-28-year-old-feared-dead-in-lac-megantic/

 

[mysteriew]

Earlier Thursday, the mayor of Lac-Megantic lashed out at the railway executive whose company is at the heart of last weekend’s fatal train derailment.

Colette Roy-Laroche says Edward Burkhardt was meant to meet her yesterday afternoon but that someone called 30 minutes before the scheduled get-together to say he couldn’t make it.
http://globalnews.ca/news/711414/de...or-lashes-out-at-railway-executive-burkhardt/

Slideshow of pics taken by the firemen
http://globalnews.ca/news/711414/de...or-lashes-out-at-railway-executive-burkhardt/

 

[SuziQ]

For some sense of what happened to the different locations in downtown LM, here are before and after photos.

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/0...attened-lac-megantics-bustling-downtown-core/

So horrible. It looks like the train cars actually crashed into 2 and 3.

 

[Snoopster]

So horrible. It looks like the train cars actually crashed into 2 and 3.

I don't think they originally did....but ultimately did due to some of the incredibly powerful explosions that took place over a little while.

Eyewitness accounts from those on the terrasse of the Musi Cafe and watching the video of the fires and explosions makes me think so. I may be wrong though.

 

[wfgodot]

According to somewhat confusing wire reports, 50 are still missing and 24 bodies have been found. Those who are missing are now presumed by the authorities to be dead.

 

[mysteriew]

Lac-Mégantic vigils to mark 1 week since derailment

Events planned across Quebec as investigation continues in devastated town
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story...tic-quebec-train-explosion-investigation.html

 

[mysteriew]

Here is a little bit of good news:

Lac Megantic explosion: Five residents mistakenly listed as presumed dead

Five people mistakenly identified as missing and presumed dead in Lac-Mégantic reassured their loved ones that they were alive and well.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/...dents_mistakenly_listed_as_presumed_dead.html

 

[matou]

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

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

Sûreté du Québec 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.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montr...tic-quebec-train-explosion-investigation.html

 

[Paul]

There's a graphic here that answers a lot of questions:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/07/12/graphic-the-lac-megantic-runaway-train-disaster/

If you click on the medium size picture, it loads a really large version (3,674 KB), wait a bit for it to load.