Crew members hurt when Via Rail passenger train derails in Saskatchewan
A spokesman for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said the train was going about 50 km an hour when it hit a section of track that had washed out
HUDSON BAY, Sask.—Via Rail Canada says two locomotives and a baggage car in a train headed from Winnipeg to The Pas in northern Manitoba derailed overnight in a remote area of east-central Saskatchewan.
The Crown rail company said Train 693 was carrying 16 passengers and five crew members when the accident happened shortly after 3:00 a.m. central time, about 37 kilometres north of the town of Hudson Bay.
Marie-Anna Murat, a Via spokeswoman, said the engines and baggage car in the eight-unit train ended up on their side.
“All (five) passenger cars remained upright,” she said.
Preliminary information shows two crew members suffered minor injuries. It also indicates no passengers were hurt, although Murat said that had yet to be confirmed by medical authorities.
Everyone aboard was taken to the Hudson Bay Health Care Facility for an assessment.
Alexandre Fournier, a spokesman for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, said the train was going about 50 km an hour when it hit a section of track that had washed out.
Murat said Via cannot confirm a washout.
“I know there was flooding in the area, but the accident is under investigation and as of now we don’t know the cause. The area is very remote,” she said.
Two telephone numbers have been arranged for people wanting information on family members who were on the train.
Via has set up a hotline at 1-877-747-0707, while the health-care facility can be reached at 1-306-865-5611.
Passenger rail service between Winnipeg and Gillam, Man., has been suspended until further notice.
Fournier said TSB investigators were on their way to the scene.
