An empty coal train operated by CSX derailed early Wednesday morning near Sandstone, West Virginia.
The train reportedly hit a rockslide along the tracks, causing a fiery derailment beside the New River.
Officials said the train was empty, but at least one locomotive and one fuel tank spilled into the river.
An unknown amount of diesel fuel and oil spilled, officials reported.
The incident reportedly injured three CSX crewmembers.
WATCH:
🚨#BREAKING: Multiple people injured following cargo train derailment ⁰⁰📌#sandstone | #WestVirginia⁰⁰Multiple emergency crews are on scene to the site of a train derailment in sandstone, West Virginia after a train derailed causing three train workers to be injured The… pic.twitter.com/lLETjl9tPu
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 8, 2023
WEST VIRGINIA TRAIN DERAILMENT: Dispatchers said three people were taken to the hospital in Summers County after a train hit a boulder and ended up near the bank of the New River. The incident involving a CSX train was reported about 5 a.m. Wednesday near Sandstone. pic.twitter.com/FHdanV71uk
— Leslie Rubin (@LeslieRubinWCHS) March 8, 2023
🚨 #BREAKING: Several people have been injured in a fiery train derailment in Sandstone, West Virginia.
The accident sent at least one locomotive and one fuel car into the New River.
Multiple rescue crews are currently on scene. pic.twitter.com/896GlK64HQ
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 8, 2023
A freight train derailed after striking a rockslide in Sandstone, West Virginia, injuring three crew members and spilling diesel fuel into a nearby river, according to a press release. https://t.co/EJlxmp3vWO
— CNN (@CNN) March 8, 2023
AP reported:
An empty coal train hit a rockslide along tracks in West Virginia on Wednesday morning, causing a fiery derailment that injured three crewmembers, CSX Transportation said in a statement.
Four locomotives and 22 empty cars derailed in Summers County near the New River, CSX said. The lead locomotive, which carried a conductor, an engineer and an engineer trainee, caught fire and the crewmembers were being evaluated and treated for non-life threatening injuries, the company said.
CSX said an unoccupied locomotive was partially in the waterway where an unknown amount of diesel fuel and oil spilled, officials said. Environmental teams were deploying containment measures.
The derailment occurred in a remote area just south of Sandstone inside the New River National Park and Preserve, according to a statement from the West Virginia Emergency Management Division. Several state agencies are monitoring the situation and said public water systems downstream have been notified and are monitoring for any potential public health impacts.
No hazardous materials were being transported and there was no danger to the public, CSX said.
6 News Richmond added:
A separate statement from West Virginia Emergency Management said at least one locomotive and one fuel tank went into the New River, adding diesel fuel from the wreckage “has been observed entering the New River.”
“At the time of this report, no roads are closed, nor has there been an evacuation of nearby homes,” West Virginia Emergency Management said in a release.
CSX spokesperson Sheriee Bowman told CNN that 22 empty rail cars derailed. Bowman was unsure whether the fire had been extinguished.
The company said its team is in close contact with police and fire officials.
West Virginia officials said in a release a rockslide caused the derailment.
“CSX owns twelve feet from the middle of the track to either side and will be responsible for cleanup. The company is sending a spill response unit that will coordinate with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) on mitigation and remediation efforts.”
“Agencies under the Justice Administration, including the West Virginia Emergency Management Division (WVEMD), the WVDEP, and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR) are actively monitoring this developing situation,” the release said.
Summers County Emergency Management, Sandstone Volunteer Fire Department and fire departments from Summers County, Pipestem, and the City of Hinton are on scene.
WATCH:
WeLoveTrump reported earlier today about a train derailment in Oklahoma caught on video:
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