Casualties feared in train derailment near Canada-Maine border

A freight train carrying crude oil to Maine derailed and exploded early Saturday outside a small Quebec town near the Maine border, causing widespread destruction and forcing about 1,000 people to flee their homes, authorities said.

While police did not have information about specific casualties, several people were reported missing after the derailment.

Lt. Michel Brunet said it was too soon to determine whether there were any casualties in the town of about 6,000 residents.

“We’re told some people are missing but they may just be out of town or on vacation,” Brunet told a news conference, according to The Associated Press.

Lac-Megantic resident Claude Bedard told AP the scene of the explosions as “dreadful.”

“It’s terrible,” Bedard said. “We’ve never seen anything like it. The Metro store, Dollarama, everything that was there is gone.”

Onlookers said large amounts of oil have spilled into nearby bodies of water, The Associated Press reported.

Several fire departments in Franklin County dispatched trucks and firefighters to help Canadian crews put out the fire, a Franklin County Sheriff’s dispatcher said.

The 73-car train that derailed is owned by Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway Ltd., based in Hermon, outside Bangor. The company owns more than 500 miles of track serving Maine, Vermont, Quebec and New Brunswick, according to its website.

Quebec Provincial Police Sgt. Gregory Gomez said the derailment happened about 1 a.m. Police still don’t know what caused the train to jump the tracks, he said.

Gomez said there are several homes and stores near where the explosions occurred, along with a bar that was open at the time of the crash.

“We do fear there are going to be casualties,” he said.

Flames and billowing smoke could be seen for several miles hours after the derailment, the AP reported. Some of the train’s cars exploded and the fire spread to a number of homes.

As of 1:30 p.m., firefighters still were trying to extinguish the oil-fueled blaze, Gomez said.

“It’s still burning as we speak,” he said.

Environment Quebec spokesman Christian Blanchette said a large but undetermined amount of fuel also spilled into the Chaudiere River, according to the AP.

“We also have a spill on the lake and the river that is concerning us,” she said. “We have advised the local municipalities downstream to be careful if they take their water from the Chaudiere River.”

Seven municipalities in Franklin County dispatched eight fire trucks carrying about 30 firefighters to the scene starting around 3 a.m., Franklin County Sheriff’s Office dispatcher Stan Wheeler said. Lac-Megantic is about 20 miles from the Franklin County border.

The firefighters are from Chesterville, Eustis, Farmington, New Vineyard, Phillips, Rangeley and Strong, he said.

Franklin County Emergency Management Director Tim Hardy also went to the derailment site, Wheeler said.

A railcar generally can carry between 25,000 and 30,000 gallons of oil. Given its more than 70 cars, the train that derailed had the capacity to be carrying 1.8 million to 2.2 million gallons of oil.

Saturday 6 July 2013

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Fire-erupts-near-Maine-border-after-train-carrying-gas-derails-in-Canada.html

12 years later: Remains of firefighter killed in 9/11 attacks identified

The remains of a firefighter killed in the September 11, 2001, terror attacks at the World Trade Center have been identified, the New York City Medical Examiner's office said Friday.

Lt. Jeffrey P. Walz, 37, was identified after authorities retested remains that were recovered in the months following the attack. Photos: One World Trade Center towers over NYC Photos: One World Trade Center towers over NYC

Of the 2,753 people killed in the attack, more than 1,100 people have not had remains identified, according to Barbara Sampson, acting chief medical examiner.

More than 8,200 bone samples and additional samples require DNA testing, according to a report released by Sampson. Walz, who was last seen in the north tower of the World Trade Center, was survived by a wife and a son, according to an obituary in the Staten Island Advance.

Lt. Jeffrey Walz died in the north tower nearly a dozen years ago.

"My family always felt at some point we would get a phone call," his widow, Rani Walz, tells the New York Post. "I wasn't so sure. This has reopened old wounds."

Walz was 37 when he died, leaving behind Rani and their 3-year-old son, Bradley. He managed to call his wife and parents from the tower before it collapsed, says his sister.

As for that "gentle giant" nickname: "It was obviously because of his height and because he was such a good person," explains his wife. "He was a saint with me."

A city official says the remains of 1,637 World Trade Center victims have now been identified.

"At least we can say he's not missing anymore," mom Jennie Walz tells the Journal News.

Saturday 6 July 2013

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/07/05/us/new-york-9-11-remains

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/07/06/newser-911-sept-11-firefighter/2494477/

11 killed, 10 injured in Damauli bus accident

At least 11 people, including a child, seven men and three women were killed, and 10 injured after a bus plunged into the Madi river Saturday evening.

The bus (4684), which was heading for Mugling from Pokhara, skidded off the Madi bridge and fell into the river.

Driver Basanta Thapa, who was also injured in the accident, told Republica that he lost control over the bus as he tried to avoid hitting a child on the road.

"I saw a boy crossing the road just ahead of the bus," said Thapa, who has been admitted to Ratna Hari Memorial Hospital in Tahanu for treatment. "I changed the bus´s direction to avoid hitting him but could not save the bus from falling into the river."

Along with Thapa, Suman Shrestha of Tanahu, Suman Shrestha of Syangjha and Pabitra Sapkota of Tanahu have been admitted to the same hospital for treatment. One injured has been rushed to Pokhara.

Others injured, including Bishnu Tahap of Tanahu and Padam Biswokarma of Nawalparasi, are receiving treatment at the district hospital of Tanahu. Some others have already been discharged. The police are yet to ascertain the names and addresses of all the injured.

Sapkota, who is undergoing treatment at Ratna Hari Hospital, said she was drowsing in a seat just next to the driver´s. "I could not understand how the bus slipped off the bridge," said Sapkota. "I regained full consciousness only when I felt the cold water. Then, I somehow swam to the river bank." Sapkota says she survived as the ill-fated bus was not swept away by the river. "The bus got stuck where I fell," says she. "So, I got time to get out of the bus and swam out of the river."

The bus had fallen 25 meters down breaking the railing of the bridge. Eye-witnesses said the bus hung from the railing for a while before falling into the river. According to SP Dev Bahadur Bohara, chief of the District Police Office of Tanahu, the death toll from the accident has reached 11 by Saturday night. "The number could go up," said Bohara.

A joint team of Nepal Army (NA) men, Armed Police Force (APF) soldiers, Nepal Police personnel, assisted by the locals, was deployed to rescue the accident victims from the Madi river. As the river was swollen and muddy, the rescuers found it very difficult to search for the bodies and rescue the injured. According to SP Bohara. The deceased child has been identified as 11-year-old Ayush Thapa. Among the women, the bodies of Tika Maya Ale and Manu Thapa have been identified. Likewise, among the men, Hemraj Shrestha and his father Laxmi Narayan Shrestha have been identified. Hemraj, a former Maoist combatant, was returning home after completing Nepal Army training at Khairenitar of Tanahun.

Saturday 6 July 2013

http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=57401