A westbound Canadian Pacific Rail train derailed Sunday, with 43 railcars left strewn across the side of Highway 3.
No injuries or deaths have been reported since the disaster, which occurred around 8:15 a.m. local time Sunday, CBC reported. Fire crews and Canadian Pacific Rail responded to the scene, according to a tweet from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Footage of the derailment was shared on Twitter by Raw Alerts, and shows the seemingly endless stream of rail cars along the side of the track, all of which look to be significantly damaged. It’s unclear how or why the train derailed, and the cause is currently under investigation, according to Reuters.
🚨#BREAKING: Massive train derailment in Alberta Canada
📌#Alberta l #Canada
⁰Authorities in Alberta Canada are at the scene and currently underway cleaning up after a massive train derailment with 43 CP Rail train cars carrying potash detailed no injuries were reported pic.twitter.com/fVqXEqWCdd— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) May 23, 2022
The cars were carrying potash at the time of the derailment, according to the post. Potash is predominantly used as fertilizer in agriculture and considered a mineral commodity, according to the US Geological Survey. (RELATED: Insane Videos Show ‘Upwards’ Lightning In Kansas City)
Canada is the largest producer of potash, with Russia and Belarus coming second, Reuters continued. Prices for the essential nutrient mixture have skyrocketed in recent months as Russia and Belarus face sanctions from Western countries, the outlet continued.