Cleanup is underway after train derailment in British Columbia

HOPE, B.C. — CN Rail says a team of contractors and environmental experts has begun removing potash from the site of a derailment involving a Canadian Pacific train near Hope, B.C.

No one was hurt when about 60 cars jumped the tracks early Monday at a CN rail bridge.

CN says potash, potassium-laden salts used in fertilizer, soap and some food products went into the creek but the spill has been contained and a vacuum truck is at the site.

A statement from the company says water monitoring is underway and containment barriers are in place on the creek.

The Transportation Safety Board said Monday its investigators were gathering information to assess what happened.

The derailment occurred along a narrow stretch of railway hemmed between rivers and mountains where CN and CP share tracks east of Vancouver.

This story by The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 15, 2020.

Companies in this story: (TSX:CNR, TSX:CP)

The Canadian Press