A freight train derailed Thursday along the Mississippi River in southwestern Wisconsin, sending two cars plunging into the water in the latest in a series of rail accidents that have brought scrutiny on the industry.
USA Today reported that Crawford County Emergency Management Specialist Marc Myhre told WKBT-TV that about 20 BNSF Railway cars were involved in the mishap between the villages of DeSoto and Ferryville, about 30 miles south of La Crosse.
The two that went into the river didn’t contain hazardous materials, BNSF spokesperson Lena Kent. Some of the containers that derailed on shore contained paint and lithium ion batteries, and a boom was being placed in the impacted area, she said.
“The volumes involved don’t pose a risk to the river or the communities,” Kent said. The Crawford County Sheriff’s Office said on its Facebook page there was no need to evacuate. Kent said the derailment took place around 12:15 p.m. CT. and all the crew members were accounted for, with one getting medical attention.
Britt Cudaback, spokesman for Gov. Tony Evers, told The Associated Press it wasn’t clear if any environmental contamination has occurred.
Some recent derailments have raised serious environmental concerns. Most notably, a Feb. 3 accident in East Palestine, Ohio, set off a fire and spewed toxic chemicals into the air. On March 30, the Minnesota town of Raymond was evacuated after a train carrying highly flammable ethanol derailed, igniting a fire.
