Washout, possibly due to beaver, confirmed at site of deadly train derailment in northern Manitoba

The Transportation Safety Board has confirmed there was a washout on the northernManitoba railway where a fatal train derailment occurred on Saturday.

JerryBerriault, a regionalsenior investigator, said the agency is continuing to investigate, but couldnot definitively state that the crash, which claimed one life and seriously injured another worker, was caused by the washout.

Berriault said two culvertsbecame blocked along the remote railway sometime after the last inspection on Thursday,obstructing water flow and forcing the grade underneath the railway to wash away.

The train was travelling northat around 25 miles per hourwhen it encountered the washout, near Ponton, Man., around 5:45 p.m.

"Itcame to a sudden and immediate stop with some fairly catastrophic results," he said.

Berriaultdescribed the washed-out section as a raised bank, 12 feet above the creek, instead of a bridge.

He said there's been heavy rains and high water in the area, halfway between The Pas and Thompson, since May.

"At some point they became blocked or were overwhelmed with volume of water, that caused the washout."

He said there was also a release of waterupstream, possibly due tobeaver activity or natural flows.

Inspected two days before

MuradAl-Katib, a spokesperson for the conglomerate that owns the rail line, previously told CBCNews the trackwas inspected twice within the last week, including a visit two days before thederailment.

The washout eliminated the subgrade, creating a gap of between 30-50feet, Berriaultsaid.

"Thelead locomotive hit the embankment on the north side after the washout."

The crash site is 17 kilometres south of where Highway 6 crosses the railway.

RCMP say a 38-year-old,who died, and a59-year-oldwere trapped in the locomotive of a freight train for several hours after it derailed.

The man who died was the trainconductor and the other employee was anengineer, saidAl-Katib, president ofAGTFoods. They were both from The Pas.

Diesel leak

There was no indicationthe freight train'scargo ofgasoline, liquid propane gas and butane leaked, but a spill of diesel fuel from the locomotive emptied into a nearby waterway, the provincial government confirmed Wednesday.Specialized equipment willassist with clean-up efforts.

Berriaultsaid the crash caused the derailment of three locomotives and four railcars, two of which were holding propane.

It was announced in late August thatAl-Katib's group had purchased, from Denver-basedOmnitrax,the flood-damaged Hudson Bay Railway line between Winnipeg and Churchill.

The consortium includes Toronto-based Fairfax Financial Holdings and Manitoba'sMissinippiRail Limited Partnership, as well asSaskatchewan-basedAGT.

Via Rail has temporary suspendedpassenger service between Winnipeg and Gillamuntil the railway is deemed safe. No timeline for restoration has been announced.