SANDSTONE, W. Va. – Cleanup and recovery continued on Thursday after a train derailment in rural West Virginia spilled diesel into the New River.
Crews had a big task ahead of them removing the rest of the train from the tracks, continuing to contain the diesel fuel that spilled, and removing the huge boulder that caused the derailment.
We’re told the boulder has been moved out of the way and will need to be broken up into smaller pieces.
Crews have also removed all 22 of the empty coal cars that derailed, as well as three of four locomotives.
[READ MORE: CSX releases statement on train derailment]
When we spoke with CSX on Thursday afternoon – they said they were in the process of removing the fourth.
For its removal, crews placed additional spill containment booms in the new river to capture any additional fuel that leaked out, but they’ll also have to address fuel that spilled elsewhere.
“There is some that is on that gravel that you see in the rail line, and we’re going to need to go in and excavate all of that gravel to make sure we get all of the stone and soil that could have come into contact with the diesel fuel,” Bryan Tucker Vice President of Corporate Communications with CSX said.
As of Thursday afternoon, two of the three CSX workers hurt in Wednesday’s derailment are still in the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
CSX said they plan to be out at the derailment site for as long as it takes to fully restore the area.