Canada train blasts force thousands to flee homes

One person was killed after a train carrying crude oil derailed early Saturday in a small Canadian town sparking explosions and a major blaze and forced close to 2,000 people to flee from their homes.

CBC News Canada citing witnesses reported between five and six explosions overnight in Lac-Megantic, a town of about 6,000 people in Quebec province's Eastern Townships.

The derailment happened at about 1 a.m. Saturday (10.30 a.m. India time), about 250 km east of Montreal.

About 1,000 people were evacuated from their homes overnight, and several hundred more also left their homes Saturday afternoon because of air quality concerns. Quebec provincial police confirmed one death on Saturday afternoon. 

CBC cited Sargeant Gregory Gomez del Prado as saying it’s possible up to 100 people could be missing, although he said it is difficult to pin down an exact number.