Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 14, 2014

The Lac-Mégantic derailment occurred in the town of Lac-Mégantic, located in the Eastern Townships of the Canadian province of Quebec, at approximately 01:15 EDT, on July 6, 2013, when an unattended 74-car freight train carrying Bakken formation crude oil ran away and derailed, resulting in the fire and explosion of multiple tank cars. Forty-two people were confirmed dead with 5 more missing and presumed dead. More than 30 buildings in the town's centre, roughly half of the downtown area, were destroyed. Initial newspaper reports described a 1 km blast radius. It is the fourth deadliest rail accident in Canadian history, and the deadliest rail disaster in Canada since the St-Hilaire train disaster in 1864.