Eight more bodies found, many still missing in Lac-Mégantic

Eight more bodies have been found in Lac-Mégantic, Que., bringing the official body count up to 13 people after a runaway train carrying crude oil set off a series of explosions and flattened the town's busy downtown.

Police said some 50 people are missing — a figure that includes the 13 unidentified bodies that have been recovered since the train derailed at about 1 a.m. ET Saturday.

The bodies will be transported to Montreal for forensic analysis and identification, he said.

Police are asking family members to provide toothbrushes, combs, or other items that might provide DNA from their missing relatives to help investigators identify the bodies.

About 2,000 of the town's 6,000 residents were forced to leave their homes on Saturday, but 1,500 of those evacuees may be able to return home as soon as Tuesday.

While some residents prepare to move home, the community has a long road ahead as it faces rebuilding the downtown core that was levelled in the series of blasts.

The Saturday blasts destroyed about 30 buildings, including a public library and Musi-Cafe, a popular bar that was filled with revelers, and forced about a third of the town's 6,000 residents from their homes.

Much of the area where the bar once stood was burned to the ground. Burned-out car frames dotted the landscape.

Sgt. Benoit Richard, from the Quebec Provincial Police, said a number of areas which had previously been off-limits to firefighters and police because of safety concerns are now accessible.

As a result, police and fire crews will now broaden their search for victims, he said.

The locations that will now be searched include Le Musi-Café, which was busy with patrons at the time of the blast.

He added that the area is still being considered a crime scene, and investigators will be thorough in their probe.

“We have 12 crime scene investigators along with major crime unit are on the scene, so we have a lot of space that is being checked on by all the officers over there,” he told CTV News.

Tuesday 9 July 2013

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2013/07/08/lac-megantic-quebec-train-explosion.html

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/13-dead-dozens-still-missing-in-lac-megantic-1.1357612