Train accident in Quebec: A Lac-Mégantic, devastated city

  

The Quebec town in shock after the train crash that killed at least five people dead and dozens missing.


By Marie-Andree Chouinard Special Envoy "Duty" in Lac-Megantic, Quebec
The mad rush of a train fire has been the Lake Megantic a city in mourning, which is found to suffer at the same time all kinds of death: death of dozens of people, including at least five confirmed deaths, total devastation of a historic downtown, and burdened people unemployed, homeless tourist economy to a high environmental fragility, oil spills have infringed the majesty of the lake and the river is at its mouth.
"Desolation". It has become the buzzword used by several round since a train Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway Inc. has literally ignited the heart of the city about 1 am Saturday in a series of explosions of force destructive. It expresses both the distress of relatives of the disappeared, estimated by authorities to about 40, the extent of urban disaster, municipal, environmental and historical. Sunday night again, it was impossible to assign a specific cause to the extent of the devastation, the survey by-step menus, at the rate firefighters authorize the entry of investigators on the "crime scene." Impressed by its passage near the crater left by the tragedy, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has bluntly spoke of a "war site."
Throughout the weekend, Lac-Mégantic tried to pick up the pieces, all the rhythm information disclosed in dribs and drabs. The main reason is of course the inability of investigators from the Sûreté du Québec to access the most devastated perimeter, and whose heart was the resto-pub Musi-Café, where he remains today more than anything else brand foundations. This was explained to the volunteer firefighter Duty Pascal Plamondon, Sherbrooke come lend a hand to local teams. "The Musi-Café, there's nothing left. It was razed to the ground. These are only foundations remain, dust. "The strength of the fire has impressed all who witnessed and were able to escape. There is talk of majestic trees become snags. On the park (the Veterans) razed by fire. Castings of "washing" - the burning oil - running through the streets and into the lake. Jean Gauthier, a resident of Lac-Megantic that all filmed from the balcony, a privileged witness of horror, fear what happens next. "The worst is yet to come, everybody knows that."
Among other future shocks, the list of confirmed dead if, as many fear, many young people seated in Musi-Coffee this Saturday night party are victims, this is a piece of youth and future that s 'fly.
In the voice of the Minister of Réjean Hébert, head of the Eastern Townships Health on Sunday felt a great tip that sadness enveloping the city and visible everywhere on the balconies of reinvested Sunday afternoon residences, restaurants filled with journalists, police and firefighters passing. From the hospital where he established his camp, the Minister finds a quiet unusual. "They got a case of people disturbed by fire, two others for injuries, but nothing more. That says a lot. "These images of downtown crater leave very little hope of finding alive. The hospital was placed Saturday morning orange alert mode, ready to welcome hordes of wounded, but no ambulance transport was made from the site to hospital. The blaze was so strong, so wide, no help could reach it.
"There's nothing left"

And structures in good condition? "Everything has to be redone in the center of Lac-Megantic," said Minister Hébert. The force of the explosions and fire intensity ravaged surface drainage, telephone, power lines, fiber optics. "There is nothing left."
Besides a library and archives flights in smoke. Shops, some just renovated. The sumptuous residences Street Veterans, all outbreaks. And a pub-restaurant became infamous.
The environmental impact is also considerable concern Sunday again, experts in public health were to analyze the clouds left by the oil burning had invaded the sky, especially all day Saturday toxic residues. "We have to check if it has caused a toxic dust from children's toys, water pools, the garden vegetables," said Dr. Hébert.
If the water of Lake Megantic is altogether relatively unaffected, the flow of oil had borrowed the Chaudière River, at the mouth, it can not be said precisely this river, which highly concerned departmental authorities Sunday again . Municipalities like St. Jude and St. George, whose drinking water is drawn directly into the boiler, are supported by experts to ensure the supply of the population.
"Three booms have been installed on the Chaudière River and stakeholders provide day to identify any arrival index of spilled oil and then intervene in collaboration with municipalities, if any," said the Ministry of Environment through statement. The ministry teams also evaluate the impacts of sources.
Everything will be rebuilt, inside as well as outside, except lives into pieces. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has refused Sunday to start the round are to be distributed, saying that it was not the day. But there are programs for that, he argued, just to reassure worried.
A local resident, come support her elderly parents, troubled by the tragedy affecting their city, said: "There are lives lost, of course. Then the neighborhood that never revert. Then the jobs lost, businesses have disappeared. It is the environment, because we have not finished finding probably the aftermath of this tragedy. Hard times are ahead. "
Source Libération.fr © "Le Devoir"