SUMMERS COUNTY, W.Va. – CSX released a new statement Thursday regarding the train derailment in Sandstone, West Virginia on Wednesday, and related recovery efforts.
Clean up continued through the night after the train derailment caused diesel to spill into the New River and left three workers with non-serious injuries.
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Officials say a large boulder the size of a bus had fallen onto the tracks from a hillside, and was the cause of the derailment.
CSX says as of Thursday, all 22 empty coal cars that derailed were removed, and the company is still working on removing four locomotives.
They say two of the three hospitalized crew members are still receiving treatment for non-life threatening injuries.
You can read CSX’s full update as of Thursday morning below.
“In close collaboration with responding agencies, CSX has safely removed all 22 of the empty coal cars that derailed in yesterday’s incident in Sandstone, WV.
CSX is in the process of removing the four locomotives. This process should be completed later this morning.
CSX teams have deployed additional environmental measures in order to contain any additional fuel that may leak as the final locomotive is removed.
The large boulders that caused the incident have also been moved.
Once the final locomotive is removed, CSX teams in close coordination with the National Park Service, US Environmental Protection Agency, and the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, will begin excavating the site to remove any rock or soil that came in contact with diesel fuel.
CSX is very appreciative of the collaboration and support from all the responding agencies, in particular the members of the Green Sulphur District Fire and Rescue team, who were first on the scene of the incident and rendered aid to our valued employees.
Two of the three CSX crew members remain in the hospital and are receiving treatment for non-life-threatening injuries. CSX is providing support these employees and their families as they recover from this incident.
In addition, CSX is deploying drones to survey areas of its network with similar topographical characteristics in an effort to identify and mitigate where possible the risk of rockslides. This proactive effort will supplement the measures we already have in place, such as fencing and detectors, in areas that are prone to slides.”
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