Insufficient brake force was applied before an oil train slammed into a town in Quebec on July 6 and killed 50 people, Canadian officials said Friday. Donald Ross, the chief investigator for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, said that insufficient brake force could be due to mechanical problems with the handbrakes, or a problem with the way someone applied them. The unmanned Montreal, Maine & Atlantic railway train carrying 72 cars of crude oil slammed into the center of Lac-Megantic, setting off massive explosions. A spokesman said that the agency has had a closer look at 25 tanker cars since gaining access to the blast site two days ago - and has taken pictures and samples.
