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Train stops for 'resting' teenagers in White Rock

Young people lying on the tracks led to a sudden halt for a BNSF freight train on East Beach
BNSF freight train going past East Beach with people on the promenade.
Youths observed lying on the tracks on East Beach led to an unscheduled stop for a BNSF freight train on Friday.

A BNSF freight train came to a screeching halt on White Rock’s East Beach Friday after youths were observed lying across tracks.

No one was struck or hurt in the incident, which took place at approximately 4:50 p.m. BNSF spokesperson Gus Melonas said the company is still looking into the incident to get full details.

Witnesses and nearby residents report hearing the train sounding insistent warning  blasts on its horn before the brakes were deployed. Others heard loud bangs as freight cars hit couplings hard as a result of the momentum.

Karen Rempel, a server at Sandpiper Pub, said she heard the “squealing” of brakes and ran outside.

“I could see two kids lying on the tracks,” she said. “They appeared to be a girl and a boy.”

Rempel said that as soon as she saw the train had stopped safely, she called the White Rock RCMP non-emergency number.

RCMP officers and fire and ambulance personnel came to the scene of the incident, she said.

The train was stopped for close to 30 minutes, while police interviewed people at the scene.

RCMP officials did not respond to calls for more details Monday.