LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Using heavy machinery only inches from a steep embankment along the Big Sandy River, workers slowly removed the scorched remains from a fiery train derailment.
State officials said crews emptied the tank cars of ethanol and had removed them from the accident site to a nearby constructed pad. Rail company CSX prepped the site Sunday evening and during the night to prepare for the removal of locomotives.
A large rock slide on a rain-saturated mountain caused the derailment Thursday morning in eastern Kentucky, briefly trapped two crew members and caused a chemical leak into the river.
The train had slid into a nearby river and caught fire, spilling ethanol into the water. The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet said on Facebook on Monday that water sampling and monitoring was continuing.
Video the department uploaded Monday shows crews operating heavy machinery only inches from a steep embankment, with scorched locomotives resting nearby.
The derailment happened in the small Pike County community of Draffin, about 160 miles (255 kilometers) southeast of Lexington.
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