Editor TLN
A train carrying ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire in Minnesota early Thursday and nearby residents were ordered to evacuate their homes, authorities said.
The BNSF train derailed in the town of Raymond, about 100 miles (161 kilometers) west of Minneapolis, around 1 am, according to a statement from Kandiyohi County Sheriff Eric Tollefson.
BNSF said in a statement that 22 carriages derailed and four caught fire, but no injuries were reported due to the accident.
“The main track is blocked and an estimated time to reopen the line is not available,” according to the statement from BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent. “The cause of the incident is under investigation.”
Homes in an area 1/2 mile (0.8 kilometers) around the site were evacuated, according to Tollefson, and residents were taken to a shelter in nearby Prinsburg.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told that about 14 railcars were carrying hazardous materials. BNSF said the only hazardous material on board was ethanol.
“We have been in contact with the governor,” Buttigieg said, and Environmental Protection Agency officials were heading to the site “given the hazardous materials situation.”
Rail safety has been in the national spotlight since the vicious derailment of a Norfolk Southern train near East Palestine, Ohio, last month. About half of that town of about 5,000 people near the Pennsylvania border had to be evacuated after authorities decided to release and burn toxic chemicals.
[Con información de The Associated Press]
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