© Matthew Brown/AP Photo
The incident occurred in Stillwater County, approximately 60 miles from Montana's largest city, Billings. At least seven freight cars fell into the river when the bridge collapsed, according to a statement from the Stillwater County Disaster and Emergency Services. The water supply downstream was shut down temporarily while officials assessed the full scale of the event, The Associated Press reported. Montana Rail Link, the company that operated the train, said no injuries were reported and the train operators were safe.
The area around the derailment is sparsely populated, and the river flows away from Yellowstone National Park, located about 110 miles away. However, the cars that fell into the river contained hot asphalt and molten sulfur, Stillwater County officials said. It was initially unclear if the train cars had been compromised, but AP reported that a yellow substance was seen emerging from at least one of the cars sitting in the river.
While the asphalt and sulfur both solidify quickly when exposed to cooler temperatures, Stillwater County said that two other cars that derailed had contained sodium hydrogen sulfate. This is a toxic substance, and "ingestion or skin contact with [the] material may cause severe injury or death," the National Institutes of Health reported. However, officials said neither of the cars containing sodium hydrogen sulfate had entered the river.
Multiple state and federal agencies were on the scene, CBS News reported, including Federal Railroad Administration officials. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted that he'd spoken to Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte (R) to "offer support following a derailment," adding that additional federal resources will be available. "Residents concerned about potential impacts should follow information and instructions from local authorities," Buttigieg said.
Reader Comments
Now, if within the train cars were any chlorinated chemicals, such as the ones that were released on purpose in East Palestine Ohio....then that is some serious business.
In this situation, seems mainly there was a bridge part of infrastructure not being kept up. Now some fish are dead, and a bridge needs to be repaired at 10-times the expense of what it could have been if there was a system that gave a shit about infrastructure, which evidently there is not, being all the money is going to some clown in *kraine.
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If I had a complaint, as an older fella it ain't easy getting into the top cot there and a few hand holds might be helpful in this regard. Otherwise, the journey was nothing but pure pleasure for me on my way home from the witch wedding in Salem, MA. (ha, ha).
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Best to you Oldfart.
Ken
If this is infrastructure related. Then fix it. So many government organizations and money being funneled all over. People have got to be held accountable. This is happening just way to frequently.
The simple answer is there are those who think they are in power and infrastructure is not their concern - they got theirs. I put this forth as point #1 as to why those in power presently need to be removed.
The wise leader know that a country with infrastructure is one that lasts. The wise leader wants a country that lasts.
Just yesterday I was riding on the rails, and I think there are not many wise leaders in the country I presently reside.
Like everyone doing their job ?
Maybe too many thinkers involved and not enough do'ers.
And also the government guy making sure his inspectors, are actually inspecting.
Everyone doing their job !
I've helped build bridges and wrote contracts for excavating jobs.
I understand how this works. Their not doing their jobs.
Well - given all the flux in the air I suspect some big changes are on the way, and God Bless that. After the changes happen, how about we settle on an "operating system" with a bit of continuity. That is what I think.
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As the secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services during COVID, Mandy Cohen marched in lockstep with Dr. Anthony Fauci through the pandemic. She even sported a mask featuring his image.
Her policies subjected North Carolinians to harsh restrictions that disrupted everyday life without any demonstrated benefit. What’s worse, she doesn’t regret any of it, recalling with glee how she joked with friends about enforcing mass shutdowns.
The fallout from these policies were no laughing matter. Many people were devastated financially and emotionally. Depression and anxiety in children doubled, and concerns about mental health skyrocketed..."
I "gave some guidance" to Dr. Mandy Cohen, former secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services on how the CDC could clean up its act. Not gonna happen, but still by PIERRE KORY, MD, MPA [Link]