Derailed train 'dumped toxins'
2005-04-19 07:55
Matt Saville
Pietermaritzburg - Toxic chemicals are feared to have spilled into the city's riverine environment after a train accident near Boughton on Sunday night.
The train derailment caused serious damage to the tracks and the train's cargo, with two wreckage sites still cordoned off late on Monday.
The train carriages, which stretched for 800m along the track, were derailed at two points.
The accident happened about 18:30 on Sunday, and Spoornet officials barred reporters from the site.
Spoornet officials refused to comment.
A reliable source said the derailment occurred when an unmanned, runaway train from Cedara crashed into stationary rail trucks.
Denies collision
Spoornet spokesperson Likhethe Molotwane, however, said there was no collision of trains when the derailment occurred between Cedara and Braeside about 18:30 on Sunday.
Molotwane said there were "no fatalities or injuries in the accident".
Superintendent Joshua Gwala for police confirmed this.
Molotwane said the train was carrying "a variety of goods", although he could not specify.
Timothy Fasheun, manager of environment and technology development in KwaZulu-Natal, confirmed that chemicals were being transported. He was unsure which chemicals were spilt, as he was still waiting for the manifest from the driver.
The manifest, along with placards posted on tankers containing hazardous chemicals, identifies the chemicals being carried. Fasheun said "there appeared to be no placards on the tanker ".
Very toxic
Another reliable source said the chemicals were dimethyl ether and sodium metabisulphite.
Dimethyl ether is highly volatile and toxic that affects the heart, lungs, intestines, liver, kidneys, and nervous system.
Sodium metabisulphite, a mineral salt, is not regarded as problematic.
Molotwane said: "The chemicals that were spilt are under control. We have a Spoornet Hazmat team rehabilitating the area. Everything possible will be done, but it has been contained."
A chemical science specialist, who asked not to be named, said dimethyl ether was highly volatile and could ignite easily. He said if the chemical, even in containers, were left in the open, pressure can build up, resulting in an explosion.
"People in the area should be evacuated," he said.
Water is black
Contradicting Spoornet's assurance that the chemical spill was contained, people living and working along the Dorpspruit, which runs nearby, said the water was black.
Isabel Johnson, a horticulturalist at the National Botanic Gardens, said she saw a black scum in the water flowing into the Kingfisher dam at the Botanic Gardens.
"We can't irrigate the plants because we don't know if it is toxic," she said.
Dorpspruit joins the Msunduzi River after flowing through Pietermaritzburg.
A source, who inspected the damage said "it could take four to five days to clean up the scene and get the line back open. This will cost tens of millions."
- The Witness