Skip to main content

Residents briefly return home to collect some belongings as authorities begin the task of searching for the missing in Lac-Mégantic. An unmanned train derailed in the small town Saturday, setting off a series of fiery explosions

Open this photo in gallery:

A police car stands watch in the evacuation area July 8, 2013 in Lac-Mégantic, Que.DAVE CHAN/The Globe and Mail

1 of 14
Open this photo in gallery:

Lac-Mégantic residents Pierrette Morin and husband Denis Leveille leave their home with some belongings July 8, 2013.DAVE CHAN/The Globe and Mail

2 of 14
Open this photo in gallery:

Crews use a backhoe to dig through the rubble of the area where the Musi-Café was located in the centre of Lac-Mégantic, Que. July 8, 2013. As many as 40 people are still missing and authorities suspect the death toll will rise in the aftermath of Saturday's fiery train derailment.MOE DOIRON/The Globe and Mail

3 of 14
Open this photo in gallery:

A set of railroad tracks is seen outside the disaster zone July 8, 2013 in Lac-Mégantic, Que.DAVE CHAN/The Globe and Mail

4 of 14
Open this photo in gallery:

A Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Rail (MMA) freight car sits on railroad tracks outside the disaster zone July 8, 2013 in Lac-Mégantic, Que.DAVE CHAN/The Globe and Mail

5 of 14
Open this photo in gallery:

A family crosses under police tape as they leave with some belongings July 8, 2013 in Lac-Mégantic, Que. They were allowed back into their home for just a few minutes.DAVE CHAN/The Globe and Mail

6 of 14
Open this photo in gallery:

Inspectors stand on the track at the site of a derailment in Lac-Mégantic, Que., July 8, 2013. A driverless, runaway fuel train that exploded in a deadly ball of flames in the center of a small Quebec town started rumbling down an empty track just minutes after a fire crew had extinguished a blaze in one of its parked locomotives, an eyewitness said on Monday.CHRISTINNE MUSCHI/Reuters

7 of 14
Open this photo in gallery:

Police redirect residents away from the evacuation zone in the town of Lac-Mégantic, Que., July 8, 2013.CHRISTINNE MUSCHI/Reuters

8 of 14
Open this photo in gallery:

The remains of a burnt train are seen in Lac-Mégantic, July 8, 2013.MATHIEU BELANGER/Reuters

9 of 14
Open this photo in gallery:

Workers and firefighters work on what remains of downtown Lac-Mégantic, July 8, 2013.MATHIEU BELANGER/Reuters

10 of 14
Open this photo in gallery:

The remains of a burnt train are seen in Lac Megantic, July 8, 2013. A driverless, runaway fuel train that exploded in a deadly ball of flames in the center of a small Quebec town started rumbling down an empty track just minutes after a fire crew had extinguished a blaze in one of its parked locomotives, an eyewitness said Monday.MATHIEU BELANGER/Reuters

11 of 14
Open this photo in gallery:

An oil spill from the train wreck flows into the lake at Lac-Mégantic, July 8, 2013.MATHIEU BELANGER/Reuters

12 of 14
Open this photo in gallery:

A volunteer escorts an evacuee to pick up supplies from her home near the blast site Monday, July 8, 2013 in Lac-Mégantic, Que. Five people are confirmed dead and 40 more are listed as missing at the site of the blast during a train derailment.RYAN REMIORZ/The Canadian Press

13 of 14
Open this photo in gallery:

A layer of crude oil is seen on the surface of La Chaudière River as it flows from the town of Lac-Mégantic, Que., July 7, 2013.CHRISTINNE MUSCHI/Reuters

14 of 14

Interact with The Globe