Multiple cars from an Amtrak train derailed at the entrance to Union Station in Washington, D.C., Tuesday morning, according to local authorities.
“Update Amtrak derailment. All passengers were moved to unaffected cars and have been transported to L’Enfant Plaza Station. DC Fire EMS units are there standing by to provide any assistance. 1 Amtrak employee transported for a minor medical condition. #DCsBravest,” DC Fire and EMS said in a statement posted on Twitter.
This latest derailment comes after around 20 cars of a freight train derailed late in Arizona last month. Video of the derailment was posted on Twitter, showing the extent of the damage.
According to ABC15, the train, operated by BNSF, was carrying new cars, trucks and vans. No injuries were reported.
“BNSF Railway can confirm that at approximately 11:20 pm on June 7th, approximately 20 automobile cars derailed in Williams, AZ (35 miles west of Flagstaff, AZ). No injuries or haz mat involved. Cause is under investigation,” BNSF Railway said in a statement.
Coconino County Emergency Management said a total of 23 cars derailed and “sustained heavy damage.”
“The train cars involved were carrying a variety of new cars, vans and trucks,” Coconino County officials said, Fox News reported. “There were no injuries or fatalities as a result of the incident. Cleanup is currently underway.”
The incident followed a string of derailments across the country, including a train derailment near the Mississippi River in Wisconsin in April, BNSF Railway confirmed, adding that one crew member was received “medical evaluation” as a result of the derailment.
“BNSF Railway can confirm that a train derailed near De Soto, Wisconsin (approximately 30 miles south of La Crosse) on April 27, at approximately 12:15 pm local time,” a BNSF representative told American Military News in an email at the time.
“Two of the three locomotives and an unknown number of cars carrying freight of all kinds are reported to be derailed on the bluff side of the Mississippi River,” the email continued. “The main track is blocked in both directions and an estimated time for reopening the track is not available. Crew members are accounted for, with one receiving medical evaluation. Local first responders are on-site. BNSF has personnel en route to the scene and the cause of the incident is under investigation.”
This was a breaking news story. The details were periodically updated as more information became available.
