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Police in Repentigny, Que., northeast of Montreal say a train derailed in the city’s Le Gardeur sector on Sunday afternoon.
Police spokesperson Sgt. Bruno Marier said calls reporting the incident in the city of about 90,000 people were logged at about 4:30 p.m.
“There are no fatalities and no injuries,” Marier said, adding there was no leakage from any of the rail cars either.
The derailment did cause damage, as some fences were ripped out by the train, he said.
In a post on Facebook, Repentigny Mayor Nicolas Dufour said there is “no information suggesting that the train was carrying hazardous materials.”
But as a precaution, power was cut in the affected area, with more than 2,600 clients affected in the Lanaudière region, according to Hydro-Québec.
In an update at 9 p.m. on Sunday, city officials said the incident had caused damage to the electrical grid and that Hydro-Québec crews were on-site to carry out repairs. Service should be restored by midnight, officials said, but localized outages will occur overnight to allow the work to go ahead.
Officials also said CN Rail carried out an inspection of all the train cars and confirmed no hazardous materials were on board.
The city has said that residents who were evacuated from the affected area as a safety precaution can now return home.
“The sector is safe,” the Facebook post reads. The city’s Jacques-Dupuis aquatic centre will remain open until midnight for residents who need a place to cool down or charge their electronic devices.
Bourg-Neuf Boulevard is closed between Émile-Genest and Rosalie-Cadron streets, as well as de la Paix Street in the area surrounding the railway tracks.
Officials are asking people to avoid the area to allow emergency crews to carry out the necessary work to clear debris and the railcars.
A resident who spoke to Radio-Canada said he was watching a movie when he heard what he thought was an earthquake but turned out to be the train going off the tracks. Another resident described a pungent gas smell in the air that made him feel nauseous.
Canadian National Railway says a freight train derailed around 4:30 p.m. on Sunday in Repentigny. It says approximately 20 railcars left the tracks and are in various positions. The cause of the incident is under investigation. No injuries were reported.
Derailment under investigation, CN says
In a statement to CBC News, CN Rail spokesperson Ashley Michnowski said preliminary information indicates that about 20 railcars derailed and are in various positions.
She reiterated that no leaks, fires or injuries were reported, but she didn’t specify what materials were being carried by the train.
CN crews have been deployed to the site, she said, and an investigation is underway.
Michnowski didn’t say how long it would take to clear the tracks or whether there was any damage to the rails.
“Further information will be provided as soon as it becomes available,” she said.
