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Ministry of Environment investigators are at the scene of train derailment east of Mattawa that has spilled about 4,500 gallons of fuel into the Ottawa River, The Nugget has learned.
The derailment happened on an Ottawa Valley Railway line at 3:10 a.m. Two members of the crew suffered minor injuries.
Two locomotives are on their side and are spilling diesel fuel into the Ottawa River.
Of the 29 cars, seven center-beam flat cars have derailed at a 180-metre stretch of washed-out track.
“We have deployed three investigators to the site,” said Julie Leroux, a spokeswoman with the Transportation Safety Board.
“We are monitoring the situation.”
The OVR is a short-line railroad with 550 kilometres of track between Coniston and Smiths Falls.
Canadian Pacific owns the rail line, and RailAmerica operates the OVR.
The Nugget reported in April that CP and RailAmerica have been in a disupte over which multi-national corporation would pay for rail maintenance and much-needed upgrades to the tracks from Smith Falls to North Bay.
The OVR blamed the sluggish economy for its recent layoff of 30 employees.
The Nugget has a reporter at the scene and will provide updates.