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| Petrochemical train explodes in Quebec's Lac-Megantic | Petrochemical train explodes in Quebec's Lac-Megantic |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| A train carrying petrochemicals has exploded in a Canadian town, forcing the evacuation of up to 1,000 people. | A train carrying petrochemicals has exploded in a Canadian town, forcing the evacuation of up to 1,000 people. |
| The blast sent a fireball and black smoke into the air, destroying dozens of buildings in Lac-Megantic, some 155 miles (250 km) east of Montreal. | The blast sent a fireball and black smoke into the air, destroying dozens of buildings in Lac-Megantic, some 155 miles (250 km) east of Montreal. |
| The train derailed early on Saturday; police who worked through the night said several people were missing, but no casualties had yet been confirmed. | |
| Firefighters from across the border in the US are helping tackle the blaze. | Firefighters from across the border in the US are helping tackle the blaze. |
| The train had more than 70 cars filled with petroleum products, some of which exploded, setting fire to nearby homes and businesses. | |
| A one-kilometre exclusion zone has been set up around the derailed train amid fears of more pressurised containers exploding due to the fire. | |
| It was too early to determine the cause of the blaze, Quebec police spokesman Sergeant Gregory Gomez del Prado told the BBC, adding that | |
| "We do fear that there will be fatalities and from now we're trying to locate the people that are still missing," he told BBC World. | |
| 'Everything gone' | |
| "When you see the centre of your town almost destroyed, you'll understand that we're asking ourselves how we are going to get through this event," an emotional Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche told a televised news briefing. | "When you see the centre of your town almost destroyed, you'll understand that we're asking ourselves how we are going to get through this event," an emotional Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche told a televised news briefing. |
| Resident Claude Bedard described the scene of the explosions as "dreadful''. | |
| "We've never seen anything like it," he was quoted as saying by the Associated Press news agency. | |
| "The Metro store, Dollarama, everything that was there is gone." | |
| Some of the train's cargo spilled into the nearby Chaudiere river, said Environment Quebec spokesman Christian Blanchette, adding that communities downstream of Lac-Megantic had been warned to take care if using river water. | |
| A mobile laboratory had been set up to monitor the quality of the air, he added. | |
| The train was reportedly destined for Maine and run by Montreal Maine & Atlantic which owns more than 500 miles of track serving Maine, Vermont, Quebec and New Brunswick. | |
| A lakeside town that is home to some 6,000 people, Lac-Megantic is close to the border with Vermont and just 130 miles north of Maine's capital, Augusta. | |
| Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. | Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here. |
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