SQUAMISH, B.C. -- Crews worked non-stop yesterday to clean up a train derailment that dumped thousands of litres of a toxic chemical into the Cheakamus River north of here Friday.

Health officials issued an advisory to residents to avoid the river, where dead fish floated near the banks.

But an B.C. Environment Ministry official said tests yesterday showed the pH balance of the water had returned to normal.

"There has been a number of fish killed that were killed outright or have been suffering ill consequences from a higher pH water," said Lance Sundquist, the ministry's incident commander.

"Although there are some fish that have died or are not in very good health as a result of this, crews were observing healthy fish, or what they believe to be healthy fish in the river as well."

A 144-car CN Rail freight bound for Prince George left the track Friday, with nine cars tumbling about 12 meters down the steep Cheakamus River canyon.

One of them was a tank car loaded with 51,000 litres of sodium hydroxide or caustic soda, a corrosive liquid used in the pulp and paper industry. It broke open and much of the contents leaked into the 27-kilometre river

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