Canada oil train blast kills five

An oil train in Canada which derailed and exploded over the weekend has killed five people and left 40 missing, Canadian police have reported. Local residents were evacuated after a […]

An oil train in Canada which derailed and exploded over the weekend has killed five people and left 40 missing, Canadian police have reported.

Local residents were evacuated after a freight train reportedly lost control in the small town of Lac-Megantic near Quebec in eastern Canada. The subsequent blast destroyed a number of buildings.

Towering flames and billowing clouds of smoke can been seen in videos apparently capturing the disastrous event which took place on Saturday morning.

The operator of the freight train, Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway said yesterday it has been advised the fires are “largely extinguished”. It said in a statement its employees “remain in a state of shock” over the incident and said thoughts and prayers were with the relatives of the crash victims.

It is unclear what caused the accident but on Sunday MMA said it was possible it could be down to “the release of air brakes on the locomotive that was holding the train in place”. Canadian local and federal police are still investigating.

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