The first victim of a runaway oil train’s explosive derailment in a Quebec town has been identified, more than five days since the disaster.

Fires continued burning nearly 24 hours after a runaway train carrying crude oil derailed in eastern Quebec, igniting explosions and fires that destroyed a town centre and killed at least one person.

A large swath of a town in eastern Quebec was destroyed after a train carrying crude oil derailed, sparking several explosions and forcing the evacuation of up to 1,000 people.