Train derails along Thompson River in Kamloops

A train derailed in Kamloops along Mission Flats Road this afternoon, leaving cars flipped and horizontal on the tracks.

Karla Taylor was in her backyard today, July 13, with her sister and each of their children when they heard a loud bang from across the river.

They couldn't see the train from the backyard, but it was clear something was wrong.

"I knew that wasn't what a train normally sounded like," she said.

So they rushed out to a dock at about 3 p.m. along the river to see what happened. Taylor saw what she estimated to be eight cars horizontal across the tracks, with others flipped sideways, in the Mission Flats industrial area along the Thompson River.

"(The kids) were excited and had a lot of questions," she said.

With binoculars, she peered across the river at the wreck and the riverbank. Taylor saw a "yellow-ish, grainy substance" near the cars.

"Everything was in its sandwiched… state," she said. "What it did look like from our end was maybe the bank had eroded a bit."

The Thompson River recently peaked, pushing water up the banks of the river. The river did not cause flooding in the city, except for low-lying areas like parts of Riverside Park.

iNFOnews.ca reached out to both the City of Kamloops and CP Rail, but neither could immediately respond. The City did, however, issue notice through social media channels that it is "aware" of the derailment.

"CP Rail has confirmed there are no hazardous goods on board the derailed train cars," a tweet from the City reads. 

As of 4 p.m., traffic resumed on Mission Flats Road, but the public is asked to avoid the area if possible.

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