Emergency responders on scene of a train derailment in southern Alberta

Emergency crews from Vulcan County were called out Thursday afternoon to a train derailment near the village of Champion, Alta., located about 90 minutes southeast of Calgary.

A spokesperson for the railway, Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CKPC) confirmed in a written statement to Global News that a total of 34 railcars jumped the tracks around noon.

Vulcan County officials said none of them were carrying dangerous goods, so there were no safety concerns and no evacuations required.

There were also no reports of injuries.

Thirty-one of the derailed cars were hopper cars carrying grain products, while the other three were  tanker cars carrying vegetable oil, according to the statement from CKPC.

Photos and videos posted on social media showed many of the cars lying on their side, reduced to what appeared to be piles of twisted metal and wheels that appeared to have broken off the cars were scattered along the tracks.

Emergency crews were forced to shut down part of Highway 23, closest to the location of the derailment, to allow cleanup crews room to work.

The cause of the derailment is still under investigation.

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