Scott Smith of Opflex Solutions places absorbent foam in the La Chaudiere River to soak up crude oil, in Lac-Megantic, Quebec July 10, 2013. Police say they expect the death toll to rise to 50, after a runaway oil-tanker train exploded and devastated the eastern town, confirming the worst fears of residents who had mostly given up hope that the missing would be found alive. [Photo/Agencies]

STILL ALIVE

But there were glimmers of hope too.

Nicole Carrier, who works at a local hospital, was shocked to open a newspaper Wednesday morning and see her own face under the headline: 'Have you seen these people?'

"It's Facebook's fault," said Carrier, explaining that a friend's daughter had posted a frantic message on the social media service asking if she and her partner were still alive. The couple, who were evacuated from their home and did not have access to the Internet, did not respond.

Her partner, Bernard Fortier, added that their faces were still being broadcast on television as part of the missing.

"This morning, I went to the police station, and they said, 'oh, we're so happy to see you alive, Mr. Fortier,'" he said with a smile.

MMA is one of many North American railroads that have stepped up crude-by-rail deliveries as producers seek alternatives to pipelines that have been stretched to capacity by higher US and Canadian output.

That has led to a shift in the type of rail cars passing through small towns like Lac-Megantic. According to residents, the trains used to carry mainly lumber, but now they carry various hazardous materials.