A fireball has engulfed a Canadian town after a train carrying crude oil derailed, sparking several explosions.
One person has been killed, according to police, but several people were reported missing.
The crash happened as the unmanned freight train travelled through the Quebec town of Lac-Megantic, a lakeside town with a population of 6,000, on Saturday morning.
The train's operator confirmed it had been parked out of town, but they are unsure how it "got released".
Massive flames and thick smoke could be seen, locals have reported that many buildings have been destroyed.
More than 1,000 residents were told to leave the area.
No-one was on board the train when it rolled into the town, according to the operator the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway company.
Vice president Joseph McGonigle said: "We're not sure what happened, but the engineer did everything by the book.
"He had parked the train and was waiting for his relief ... somehow, the train got released."
Mayor Colette Roy-LaRoche was nearly in tears as she addressed the media, according to the Montreal Gazette.?
"When you see the downtown of your city almost destroyed you think, how are we going to get through this? But I can assure everyone here that all the authorities and ministries have been very supportive," she said.
"We've deployed all the resources possible."
Four tanker cars blew up after the train, which had 73 cars in all, came off the rails shortly after 1am local time.
Environmental experts have also arrived in the town to assess how much oil may have spilled into local waterways.
Environment Quebec spokesman Christian Blanchette said: "Right now, there is big smoke in the air, so we have a mobile laboratory here to monitor the quality of the air.
"We also have a spill on the lake and the river that is concerning us.
"We have advised the local municipalities downstream to be careful if they take their water from the Chaudiere River."
Source: http://web.orange.co.uk/article/news/canada_explosion_oil_train_derails_in_quebec
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