A freight train derailed along the Mississippi River in southwestern Wisconsin on Thursday, potentially injuring one crew member and throwing two cars into the water, officials said.
The train derailed in Crawford County at about 12:15 p.m. Two of the train’s three locomotives and an unknown number of cars carrying “loads of all kinds” derailed on the eastern edge, said Lena Kent, a spokeswoman for the BNSF Railroad. for the river.
She added that all crew members were counted, and one of them received a medical evaluation.
Mark Meyer, Crawford County Emergency Management Specialist, told WKBT-TV that about 20 BNSF railcars were involved.
Kent said two cars went into the Mississippi River, but neither contained hazardous materials. It said some of the derailed containers on the beach contained lithium-ion batteries and paint, and a barrier was placed in the damaged area.
“The volumes involved do not pose a danger to the river or the communities,” Kent said.
She said the BNSF will work with local and state agencies as appropriate.
Kent said the main trail was blocked in both directions and an estimated time to reopen the trail was not available. The Afghan National Security Forces had personnel at the scene, and the cause of the accident is still under investigation.
The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office said on its Facebook page that there was no need for an evacuation.
The Federal Railroad Administration, a division of the US Department of Transportation that regulates safety across the country’s railroads, tweeted that it was sending a team to the site to gather information and assist local emergency workers.
Governor Tony Evers chirp That he was briefed on the derailment and that he receives regular updates from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Department of Natural Resources and state emergency management officials. Its spokesman, Brett Kodapak, said in a short phone interview that it was not clear if any environmental contamination had occurred.
A spokeswoman for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Katie Grant, did not immediately respond to an email asking if the derailment resulted in any environmental pollution.
The derailment comes nearly three months after Caliber Norfolk Southern Train Derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. Officials there decided to release and burn toxic vinyl chloride from five tanker cars to prevent a catastrophic explosion.
Hundreds of people forced to evacuate in Raymond, Minnesota, last month after a BNSF train hauling ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire.
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