Train derailment on Montana bridge sends multiple rail cars into the Yellowstone River
Several train cars fell in the Yellowstone River after a bridge collapse near Columbus
By Rebekah Riess and Keith Allen, CNN
(CNN) — A train derailment in Montana caused a bridge across the Yellowstone River to collapse and sent multiple cars into the water below, officials in Stillwater County said Saturday.
Damaged rail cars were carrying “molten sulfur and asphalt,” according to a statement from Montana Rail Link.
Two cars carrying sodium hydrogen sulfate were part of the derailment but neither landed in the river “and initial air quality assessments have been performed and confirmed that there is no release event associated with those two cars,” the railroad said.
The derailment occurred around 6 a.m. Multiple tanker cars were damaged and are leaking “petroleum products,” according to Yellowstone County Disaster and Emergency Services.
The derailed Montana Rail Link train cars included “several hazmat cars,” the regional rail company said in an earlier statement. The train crew is safe and no injuries have been reported, the statement said.
Yellowstone County officials said there was no immediate threat and “precautions are being put in place.”
The railroad said it will be “safely responding to the emergency, controlling all releases and mitigating impacts.”
“Throughout the response MRL will work with local, state and federal partners to assess impacts to natural resources and to develop appropriate cleanup, removal and restoration efforts,” a statement reads.
The cause of the derailment has not yet been determined and people are being asked to keep away from the areas around the Yellowstone River Rail Bridge.
“Local fishing accesses will be closed. Water treatment plants, irrigation districts, and industrial companies are taking appropriate precautions,” the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office said.
Yellowstone County Disaster and Emergency Services has asked people living in the area to conserve water.
Tammie Mullikin, a spokesperson with Stillwater County Disaster and Emergency Services, said notifications have been made to all required agencies, and “safety and hazard mitigation efforts” have been implemented in response to the incident.
“We have formally established a unified command and are using the incident command system,” Mullikin said. “Unified Command is working together to determine the most appropriate steps to ensure a safe resolution to this incident.”
Gov. Greg Gianforte tweeted Saturday he was monitoring the derailment.
Montana Rail Link is a Class II regional railroad, operating more than 900 miles of track across Montana and Idaho, according to the company’s website.
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