Investigators report that at least 13 have been killed, with a further 37 missing, as they begin to comb the site of an enormous rail disaster in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, where last weekend a runaway crude oil train exploded. Police have stated that they expect the death toll to reach 50.
The crash may be Canada’s deadliest rail accident in 50 years, and its worst disaster since the 1998 crash of a Swissair jet off the eastern Canada coast, which killed 229.
The runaway oil tanker train derailed in the town of 6,000 people shortly after 1am last Saturday, causing a huge explosion and deadly ball of flame. The damage has been so great that Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper described the town as “a war zone” when he toured the area on Sunday.
Police spokesman Benoit Richard said on Monday that at least 12 crime scene investigators were working alongside a major crimes unit and specialised forensics lab personnel. He said the toll of the dead and missing had risen as more residents called authorities with reports.
“Hopefully we’ll get through the whole scene in the next couple of days,” he said.
Asked when authorities would declare the missing people dead, he replied: “When we find the bodies.”
Many of the missing were believed to have been drinking at a downtown bar when the explosions occurred.
One man who escaped from the bar told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that he had been unable to sleep because he kept hearing the screams of his friends.
None of the dead have been identified. At least five of the bodies recovered so far have been sent to Montreal for identification. A spokesperson for Quebec’s coroner’s office asked families of those missing to provide DNA samples to investigators by bringing items such as toothbrushes, hairbrushes, combs, razors and hats.
Due to the intensity of the fire, officials have warned that some of the dead may never be recovered.
