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Mulcair wants government to oversee inspection of rail industry

Above: Residents near Plaster Rock, N.B. still aren’t back in their homes after a train carrying crude oil and propane derailed Tuesday night. As Vassy Kapelos reports, the situation is frustrating both residents and inspectors investigating the incident.

OTTAWA – Federal Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair says it was sheer luck that no one was hurt in this week’s train derailment in northwestern New Brunswick.

And Mulcair says the Harper government is putting Canadian lives at risk by allowing rail companies to do their own safety inspections through self-regulation.

READ MORE: Crude oil spills are bigger from trains than pipelines

A preliminary investigation into the fiery derailment has found a cracked wheel and broken rail at the site.

But a senior Transportation Safety Board investigator says it’s too early to say what caused the train to leave the tracks.

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Mulcair says it was only “by the grace of God” that no one was hurt in the derailment.

The wreckage has been burning since the CN train derailed Tuesday night in Wapske.

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