(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) A train derailment in southwestern Wisconsin on Thursday sent
two derailed containers into the Mississippi River, and at least
one crew member received medical attention, according to the
train's operator, trend reports citing cnn .
The train derailed around 12:15 p.m. local time near the village
of De Soto, and all crew members have since been accounted for,
according to BNSF Railway.
At least a dozen train cars were off the tracks, according to
video that witness Caitlin Nolan shot. Other images on social
media, along with the video Nolan shot, show some of the train cars
in the river.
BNSF personnel were headed to the scene, and the cause of the
incident is under investigation, the railway said.
The train was carrying hazardous materials, according to Marc
Myhre, a Crawford County emergency management specialist. But none
of hazardous materials, believed to be batteries, were in the train
cars that went into the river, Myhre said.
BNSF said some of the containers that derailed – but stayed
onshore and didn't enter the water – contained paint and
lithium-ion batteries. But neither of the two containers that went
into the river contained hazardous materials, BNSF said.
“It was reported to us that there were hazardous materials on
the train itself, but it is not believed to be a concern to the
public or the responders at this time as those cars were
contained,” Myhre said during a news conference.
The units that derailed were two of the train's three
locomotives and“an unknown number of cars carrying freight of all
kinds,” BNSF said.
The main track was blocked in both directions after the
incident, and an estimated time for reopening the track wasn't
available, BNSF said.
Heavy rain has recently brought parts of the Mississippi River
to near flood stage, but the railroad tracks at the site of the
derailment were above water, Myhre said.
National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy told
CNN the agency is gathering information about the derailment. The
agency said it has not yet verified whether hazardous materials
were on the train.
US Rep. Derrick Van Orden, who represents the area, said his
office was coordinating with state officials, BNSF and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency to“get answers on what occurred.”
The congressman's staff was traveling to the site of the
derailment and will“continue to monitor the situation and
determine next steps,” his statement reads.
Nolan was on her way to college at around noon central time when
she saw the derailed train, she told CNN in an interview.
“I didn't see a fire or smell anything but witnessed multiple
cars in the water on both sides of the tracks,” she told CNN.
“There hadn't been any emergency help until after I had passed by,”
she said.
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