Crude in deadly Canadian train crash was mislabeled

LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Canadian officials said the crude oil that exploded when a train derailed in Quebec killing 47 people was mislabeled and more volatile than first thought.

Canadian transportation investigators working in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, said the type of crude oil tanker the train was transporting when it sped out of control and derailed was lighter than typical crude oil -- making it more susceptible to vaporization and explosion.

Stickers on the tankers bore the number 3, The (Toronto) Globe and Mail reported Wednesday, the number typically associated with crude oil. But the oil on the train, being transported from the Bakken region of North Dakota, should have been labeled with a 2 because it was lighter and more likely to explode.

Canadian officials concede labeling the train tankers differently would not have affected the way the train or the oil were handled prior to the crash -- only some procedures by fire and emergency responders after the crash.

Some Canadian officials said the country should look into whether it's safe to transport light crude in such large quantities on trains.

The practice has become increasingly common because oil companies don't have enough pipeline capacity to transport all the oil being generated by the Bakken oil boom.

U.S. transportation officials said they've begun spot inspections in the Bakken region to ensure train cars are being properly labeled.