Vancouver, Aug 3 (AP) The derailment of a Canadian Pacific Railway train in the province of Alberta has forced the evacuation of a town of about 300 people and closed part of the Trans-Canada highway.

The Alberta government issued an emergency alert Friday for people living within 6.5 kilometers of the hamlet of Irvine, which is about 362 miles from the capital of Edmonton.

The alert said the derailment involves "chemical exposure," but did not give additional details.

Police say between 12 and 15 rail cars jumped the track and some may contain flammable material.

In July 2013, 47 people died in the town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec when an unmanned 74-car freight train carrying crude oil rolled downhill and derailed in the dead of night.(AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)