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| Lac-Megantic train blast: PM Harper visits 'war zone' | Lac-Megantic train blast: PM Harper visits 'war zone' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the part of Lac-Megantic affected by Saturday's crude oil explosion looks like a "war zone". | |
| At least five people died when runaway train cars packed with crude oil derailed and blew up early on Saturday. | At least five people died when runaway train cars packed with crude oil derailed and blew up early on Saturday. |
| Some 30 buildings had been completely incinerated by fires which engulfed the historic centre, said Mr Harper. | Some 30 buildings had been completely incinerated by fires which engulfed the historic centre, said Mr Harper. |
| Police are trying to find 40 missing people: a nearby bar was said to have been crowded at the time of the blast. | Police are trying to find 40 missing people: a nearby bar was said to have been crowded at the time of the blast. |
| "This is an enormous area, 30 buildings just completely destroyed, for all intents and purposes incinerated,'' Harper said. ``There isn't a family that is not affected by this.'' | "This is an enormous area, 30 buildings just completely destroyed, for all intents and purposes incinerated,'' Harper said. ``There isn't a family that is not affected by this.'' |
| The fires were so intense and burnt for so long that Quebec police warn some bodies may never be recovered. | |
| The five bodies found are so charred they have been sent to Montreal for identification, police say. | |
| Fires were finally extinguished early on Sunday evening. | |
| "The flames, the fires all have been put out now. We did it," said fire chief Denis Lauzon. | |
| Investigation pledge | Investigation pledge |
| Visited the affected area on Sunday, Mr Harper said an "unbelievable disaster" had befallen Lac-Megantic, which is around 250km (155 miles) east of Montreal. | Visited the affected area on Sunday, Mr Harper said an "unbelievable disaster" had befallen Lac-Megantic, which is around 250km (155 miles) east of Montreal. |
| Saturday's pre-dawn explosion sent a fireball and black smoke into the air, forcing the evacuation of 2,000 people. | Saturday's pre-dawn explosion sent a fireball and black smoke into the air, forcing the evacuation of 2,000 people. |
| "This is an enormous area, 30 buildings just completely destroyed, for all intents and purposes incinerated," said Mr Harper. "There isn't a family that is not affected by this." | "This is an enormous area, 30 buildings just completely destroyed, for all intents and purposes incinerated," said Mr Harper. "There isn't a family that is not affected by this." |
| He added: "There'll be investigations to ascertain what's occurred and make sure it can't happen again." | He added: "There'll be investigations to ascertain what's occurred and make sure it can't happen again." |
| Firefighters had been battling the flames with water and a fire retardant, but were staying at least 1,000 ft from the burning tankers for fear of more blasts, Mr Lauzon told reporters earlier on Sunday. | |
| "We lost the bibliotheque [library] which had all the memories of people here - it's a mess," said Chief Lauzon. | "We lost the bibliotheque [library] which had all the memories of people here - it's a mess," said Chief Lauzon. |
| People whose homes have been badly damaged were being given shelter at a nearby school. | People whose homes have been badly damaged were being given shelter at a nearby school. |
| The Montreal, Maine & Atlantic train had been parked in the village of Nantes - about 7km (four miles) from Lac-Megantic - during an overnight driver shift-change, said a company spokesman. | The Montreal, Maine & Atlantic train had been parked in the village of Nantes - about 7km (four miles) from Lac-Megantic - during an overnight driver shift-change, said a company spokesman. |
| Its 73 cars carrying pressurised containers of crude oil somehow became uncoupled from five locomotive engines, gathering speed as they rolled downhill before derailing in the heart of Lac-Megantic. | Its 73 cars carrying pressurised containers of crude oil somehow became uncoupled from five locomotive engines, gathering speed as they rolled downhill before derailing in the heart of Lac-Megantic. |
| Bernard Demers, who runs a restaurant near the blast site, said the fireball that followed the derailment at around 01:00 (05:00 GMT) on Saturday was "like an atomic bomb", the Sunday Telegraph reported. | Bernard Demers, who runs a restaurant near the blast site, said the fireball that followed the derailment at around 01:00 (05:00 GMT) on Saturday was "like an atomic bomb", the Sunday Telegraph reported. |
| The train had been travelling from the Bakken Field in North Dakota to a refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick. | The train had been travelling from the Bakken Field in North Dakota to a refinery in Saint John, New Brunswick. |
| Montreal, Maine & Atlantic owns more than 800km (500 miles) of track serving Maine, Vermont, Quebec and New Brunswick. | Montreal, Maine & Atlantic owns more than 800km (500 miles) of track serving Maine, Vermont, Quebec and New Brunswick. |
| A picturesque lakeside town that is home to some 6,000 people, Lac-Megantic is close to the US border with Maine. | A picturesque lakeside town that is home to some 6,000 people, Lac-Megantic is close to the US border with Maine. |