Disaster In My Home Province Of Quebec, Canada

Fireball: A cloud of fire is blasted into the sky above Lac Megantic after a freight train exploded

One Dead, More Fatalities Possible After Quebec Train Explosions, Fire -- Globe and Mail

When the runaway ghost train rolled into the heart of town and detonated like a bomb, levelling the entire historic central district of pretty Lac-Mégantic, Que., survivors say that life or death depended on where you happened to be standing.

A day after the conflagration which destroyed at least 30 buildings, including a packed bar, apartments and all the town’s archives, fire still raged. With one confirmed dead, hope was diminishing for dozens of people who remained missing. Medical officials reported almost no injuries. Those who failed to escape probably did not survive to seek treatment.

Many of those missing were indoors, such as the patrons of the Musi-Café bar who filled the building when 73 train cars rolled in out of control at 1:15 a.m. ET Saturday morning.

Read more ....

Update #1: One dead, more fatalities possible after Quebec train explosions, fire -- Globe and Mail
Update #2: 1 dead, many missing after Quebec train blasts -- CBC
Update #3: Train derails in Canada town, leaving 1 dead, 100 missing -- L.A. Times

My Comment: I am very familiar with this town (I live in Quebec) .... it is in an area that is probably one of the most beautiful and tranquil regions of north-eastern North America. This part of Quebec also reminds me of the steppes of Russia from where I am from .... trees and wide open spaces filled with small towns and tight communities where everyone knows everyone else. We have a small vineyard/farm at Dunham (about 60 miles east from Lac-Megantic) .... and while I do not have the time to farm, I have taken many road trips throughout this region .... Lac-Megantic included. I suspect that the death toll is going to be very high .... with some reports of almost 80 people being incinerated in the fireball .... a difficult number to comprehend .... especially in a close-knit community like this one where the impact will be felt by everyone. My prayers are with the many families who are suffering tonight.

Update: My brother lives in San Mateo (south of San Francisco) .... and when we were talking in the afternoon about what was happening in Lac-Megantic he could see the smoke from his balcony on this disaster in the distance. I guess it is one of those days.