50 likely dead in Lac-Megantic: Police

Quebec police say the official death toll in Lac-Megantic’s train derailment is now 20 and that another 30 people are considered missing and most likely dead.

Inpector Michel Forget gave the update at an evening news conference this evening.

The previous death toll stood at 15 with another 45 people missing.

Shortly after 1 a.m. on Saturday, part of a train careened down a hill into Lac-Megantic and derailed, exploding into a wall of flame and fireballs and levelling a number of residential and commercial buildings.

Police say they are treating the disaster area as a "crime scene."

The national Transportation Safety Board is also investigating.