Dave Rushton, the community's regional elected representative, said the cause of the accident is under investigation but early reports indicate a crew was on the tracks when the rail cars approached without warning.
At the section of track where the accident occurred, the rail cars are not connected to train engines, Rushton said in an interview. The area is a transfer zone where the loaded rail cars pass through before being connected to locomotives and moved to sawmills elsewhere, he said.
"Somehow the cars got away and ran down the track, and, of course, it's downhill," said Rushton, a director of the Regional District of Mount Waddington. "It's all gravity feed. They ended up right in behind our community here. It's amazing there wasn't more damage done."
Rushton said a backhoe loader, a speeder car and the workers were on the track when the accident occurred.