2 August 2006
Derailment Sends Coal Cars into River
Lytton British Columbia - A train derailment near Lytton
sent at least six car loads of coal crashing into the Fraser River and rerouted traffic off the CN main line.
The westbound train lost 20 cars on a bridge at Lasha at about 11 p.m. Monday. Several plummeted more than 40 metres into the rapids
below, Lytton Mayor Chris O'Connor said Tuesday.
"They're just marshalling the forces to get going," he said after visiting the scene Tuesday afternoon.
"It was a major derailment. It shifted the bridge three to four feet off the abutment. They could have easily lost a portion of the
bridge."
Four coal cars were still on the bridge. The others were "torn to bits" as they crashed through the deck and fell to the river
and banks.
"A number are in the river or on the shore. You can see a stream of coal running away downstream. I live downstream at the junction
to the Thompson River and you can't see any signs of the coal yet," O'Connor said.
This is the second derailment involving coal in the Lytton area in less than a year. O'Connor is worried something far more sinister
will one day end up in the river.
Larry Gardner, head of environmental management services for the Ministry of Environment and Environmental Protection, said crews were
assessing the damage to fish and plant life late Tuesday afternoon. He isn't sure when cleanup will begin.
He said coal can smother fish and plants but stressed there are far more harmful materials that can fall into the water.
O'Connor said the spill also impacts local businesses like Kumsheen Raft Adventures Ltd., which will likely delay tours through the area
for at least a week.
"This is not a good time," he said.
Jim Feeny, a CN media spokesman, said the derailment occurred on track shared by CN and CP Rail. Investigators with both companies are
examining the site.
No one was injured during the crash. Rail traffic has been rerouted along CP lines, he said.
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