Derailed UC Rusal railcars cleared

The National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) says the derailed UC Rusal railcars have been successfully removed from the Bog Walk area with minimal impact to the natural environment.

The UC Rusal train, which was transporting alumina from Ewarton Works to Port Esquivel, derailed on August 9 with three of its hopper-cars tumbling over an embankment.

NEPA says the incident resulted in only minimal spillage of the alumina, and based on its assessment, this was confined to the base of the embankment.

NEPA says it also observed that the Rio Cobre was not contaminated, nor was the spilt material hazardous and there was no fish kill.

The Agency monitored the clean-up operation by UC Rusal and says it is satisfied that this was done in a manner that preserved the area's natural environment.

UC Rusal has said its investigative team is probing the cause of the derailment, but no completion date has been set.

Mining Minister Floyd Green has also directed the Jamaica Bauxite Institute and the Mining Division to conduct a joint probe to determine the causes and recommend safety improvements.

Residents living near the crash site have expressed concern about the maintenance of the track.

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