Manitoba RCMP were called to the scene of a VIA passenger train derailment near Katrime, Man., about one and a half hours west of Winnipeg Tuesday.
Police posted an update online saying the train, which was reportedly carrying 12 people, derailed around 6:45 a.m.
A VIA spokesperson said two passengers and three crew members were taken to hospital for medical treatment and later released.
Five remaining passengers were taken to their Winnipeg destination by bus.
Train 692 had been travelling on the Hudson Bay line from Churchill, Man.
Photos posted on Twitter by the RCMP show at least one locomotive on its side with about five cars behind it still upright, but some tilted to the side.
“First responders are on site and the seven passengers, as well as the five Via Rail crew members, are being taken care of,” Via Rail said in a statement to Global News.
The company said passengers and their families can get more information through the company’s emergency line at 1-877-747-0707.
Alex Fournier, a spokesman with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, said an investigator was to arrive at the scene Tuesday afternoon.
VIA Rail Canada spokesman Karl-Philip Marchand Giguere said in an email that an environment crew was on its way to the site, as a small amount of fuel had leaked from one of the locomotives.
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“The cause of the incident is under investigation and we are working with authorities to determine exactly what happened.”
He said that due to the derailment, VIA had cancelled its Tuesday trip from Winnipeg to Thompson and Wednesday’s trip between Thompson and The Pas.
“This is an unfortunate situation and we extend our apologies to our customers for the impacts on their travel plans during this holiday season,” he said.
The Transportation Safety Board says the train was going 100 km/h at the time, and that two locomotives and one car derailed.
Highway 350 at Road 73N in the community of Katrime was closed due to derailment.
–With files from The Canadian Press
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