LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec (AP) — Blackened debris, twisted metal and gas leaks hampered rescue workers’ search for perhaps dozens of bodies Tuesday, three days after a runaway oil train smashed into this small lakeside town and incinerated homes, a library and a crowded bar.
Thirteen people were confirmed dead and nearly 40 others were still missing in a catastrophe that raised questions about the safety of transporting oil by rail instead of pipeline.
Investigators were zeroing in on whether a blaze on the same train a few hours before the disaster set off the deadly chain of events.
Rescue workers labored to reach the bodies believed to be in the ruins.
“Those sectors are extremely complicated to investigate. There is debris. This is a very risky environment. We have to secure the safety of those working there. We have some hotspots on the scene. There is some gas,” Quebec Provincial Police Sergeant Benoit Richard said.
He said recovery efforts had to be halted briefly Monday for health reasons, and some officers had to be removed from the scene. He did not elaborate. The bodies that have been recovered were burned so badly they have yet to be identified.
The Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway train broke loose early Saturday, speeding downhill nearly seven miles (11 kilometers) and jumping the tracks at 63 mph (101 kph) in Lac-Megantic, near the Maine border, investigators said. All but one of the 73 cars were carrying oil. At least five exploded.
The blasts destroyed about 30 buildings, including the Musi-Cafe, a popular bar that was filled at the time, and forced about a third of the town’s 6,000 residents from their homes. Much of the area where the bar stood was burned to the ground. Burned-out cars dotted the landscape.
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