Prepare Derails in Wisconsin, Sending 2 Containers into Mississippi River

A BNSF freight prepare derailed on Thursday in southwestern Wisconsin, injuring 4 crew members and sending two containers into the Mississippi River however inflicting no environmental harm, officers stated.

BNSF stated in an announcement that the prepare derailed at about 12:15 p.m. native time close to the village of De Soto, Wis., which hugs the Mississippi River, close to the border of Iowa and Minnesota.

Two of the three locomotives and an unknown variety of automobiles carrying “freight of all types” had been concerned, the assertion stated. Two containers went into the Mississippi River, however they didn’t include hazardous supplies, the assertion stated.

Some of the containers that derailed on the shore contained paint, lithium-ion batteries and oxygen, stated Jim Hackett, Crawford County’s emergency administration director, at a information convention Thursday night time. The supplies didn’t pose a hazard to the general public as a result of they remained on land, he stated.

Four individuals, all crew members, had been transported for medical analysis with unknown accidents. The explanation for the derailment was nonetheless underneath investigation as of Thursday night.

Roads surrounding the accident had been closed, and the officers stated they didn’t have a prediction of when roads would reopen, Mr. Hackett stated.

“Bear with us as we clear this up,” he stated.

Crews secured the 2 automobiles to the riverbank in order that they might not proceed touring south, Mr. Hackett stated.

Rock is being delivered to the scene from close by quarries to construct a platform to have entry to take away the prepare, Chris Mussatti, the De Soto hearth chief, stated. Crews will work by means of the night time.

“It’s going to be a significant enterprise,” he stated on the information convention.

The oxygen cylinders on the prepare might pose an explosive risk, Chief Mussatti stated, however officers weren’t involved about this prevalence on Thursday night time.

Neither of the containers that fell into the water contained lithium-ion batteries, that are probably explosive after they work together with water, stated Brandon Larson, director of Vernon County Emergency Management and the director of the county’s hazmat crew.

The hazmat crew was on-site to regulate and clear gasoline leaks on the riverbank in addition to to observe the batteries, he stated. Diesel gasoline from the locomotives didn’t pose a risk to the general public, officers stated.

Marc Myhre, a Crawford County emergency administration official, told reporters on the scene that about 20 automobiles appeared to have derailed and that two appeared to have ended up within the river. He stated BNSF, which operates a big freight railroad community throughout North America, was working to take away the automobiles from the water.

“It was reported to us that there have been hazardous supplies on the prepare itself,” Mr. Myhre stated. “But it’s not believed to be a priority to the general public or the responders presently, as these automobiles had been contained.”

The Mississippi River has been flooding communities in a number of states within the Upper Midwest, together with Crawford County, in accordance with the National Weather Service. Thomas G. Cornford, the chairman of the Crawford County board, stated that he had declared a state of emergency earlier this month due to the rising floodwaters.

Concerns about prepare derailments have been heightened since a freight prepare carrying greater than 100,000 gallons of hazardous chemical substances derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in February.

Much of the prepare’s vinyl chloride freight was incinerated by emergency responders to avert a wider explosion. That prepare was operated by Norfolk Southern, an Atlanta-based railway firm that operates within the jap United States.

Last month, BNSF trains derailed in Minnesota and Arizona; neither prompted any accidents or environmental harm. A freight prepare carrying corn syrup derailed close to the city of Topock, Ariz., on March 15.

On March 30, 22 BNSF prepare automobiles carrying combined freight, together with ethanol and corn syrup, derailed close to Raymond, Minn, about 100 miles west of Minneapolis. The accident pressured native residents to evacuate, the company’s website said.

An Amtrak prepare derailed on BNSF tracks close to Joplin, Mont., about 200 miles northeast of Helena, in 2021, killing three individuals and injuring 50 others.