Train derails and spills hazardous materials in North Dakota, clean up underway
WYNDMERE, N.D. — A Canadian Pacific train derailed in rural North Dakota Sunday night and spilled hazardous materials. But local authorities and the railroad said there is no threat to public safety.
There were no injuries and no fire associated with the derailment, which occurred in a rural area outside Wyndmere, a town of several hundred people about 60 miles southwest of Fargo.
Canadian Pacific spokesperson Andy Cummings said 31 of the 70 cars on the train, including several carrying hazardous materials, left the tracks around 11:15 p.m. Sunday.
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Four cars filled with liquid asphalt and two railcars filled with ethylene glycol spilled some of those chemicals in the derailment. And Cummings said a car carrying propylene was punctured and released some vapor.
It wasn’t immediately clear how much of the chemicals were released, but there are no waterways nearby and the chemical spills were contained at the site of the derailment.
The railroad’s hazardous materials experts are working with local first responders to clean up the spill. Several roads in the area were shut down.
Cummings said the railroad believes a broken rail caused the derailment.
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Recent train derailments
East Palestine, Ohio
Railroad safety has been in the spotlight nationally ever since last month’s fiery derailment of a Norfolk Southern train near East Palestine, Ohio.
The Feb. 3 derailment made national headlines after images surfaced online showing a large plume of black smoke soaring into the sky above the crash site, and apparent chemical slicks in East Palestine’s waterways. The crash prompted a visit from former president Donald Trump and Department of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
Residents there complained of headaches and skin irritation even a month after the incident. Officials continue to remove hazardous waste from the site. Ohio’s Environmental Protection Agency said it had found no trace of contaminants in the city’s water.
Norfolk Southern:Leader sidesteps responsibility for preventing East Palestine derailment
West Virginia
On March 8, an empty coal train hit a rockslide in a remote stretch of West Virginia, causing all four of the train’s locomotives and empty coal cars to derail and catch fire, according to railroad company CSX Transportation.
Three crew members sustained non-life threatening injuries, and diesel from the train spilled into a nearby river.
West Virginia train derailment:3 injured, diesel spills into river after train derails due to rockslide in West Virginia
Michigan
Another Norfolk Southern train derailed in Michigan just two weeks after the derailment in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailment occurred near a township 30 miles west of Detroit. Officials said no hazardous materials were spilled.
Federal regulators and members of Congress have proposed reforms they want railroads to make to prevent future derailments.
In Michigan:Norfolk Southern train derails in southeast Michigan; investigation ongoing
Contributing: Orlando Mayorquin, Monroe Trombly, Thao Nguyen, Christine Fernando, Chandra Fleming, Claire Thornton; USA TODAY Network