On Saturday, June 24, around ten bogies of a freight train fell into Montana’s Yellowstone River. The accident transpired following a derailment following a bridge collapse.
According to a Montana Rail Link statement, the damaged rail cars were carrying “molten sulphur and asphalt.”
The train derailment involved two cars carrying sodium hydrogen sulphate, but neither landed in the river, according to the railroad. “Initial air quality assessments have been performed and confirmed that there is no release event associated with those two cars (bogies),” the railroad officials said.
Officials were checking if the derailment or bridge collapse occurred first, in addition to how much cargo had spilled into the river. Officials did not immediately know what caused the derailment.
The train cars, operated by Montana Rail Link, derailed around 6:45 AM local time in Stillwater County, according to the county’s Disaster and Emergency Services Department.
Stillwater County’s chief of emergency services, David Stamey, told New York Times that both spilled substances solidify quickly in the water. That means the potential environmental harm could be constrained, especially if the spread is limited, he stated.
According to Stamey, ten rail cars derailed in total. The train derailed between Reed Point and Columbus, about an hour west of Billings. According to Global Net, the bridge collapse damaged a fibre-optic cable that provided internet service to many customers in the state.
Meanwhile, Yellowstone County officials said they implemented emergency measures at water treatment plants in response to the “potential hazmat spill” and asked residents to conserve water.
Notably, on February 3, this year, a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio State, caused a massive chemical spill of toxic substances including vinyl chloride. A Norfolk Southern train carrying about 50 cars derailed near East Palestine, causing a massive fire and chemical spill in the area.