At least 25 cars were detailed in Montana on Sunday, spilling unknown contents onto the ground and into a nearby body of water.
The train derailed around 9:20 a.m. in northwest Montana. Although first responders claim there is no danger to the public, the contents of the damaged containers have not yet been confirmed.
Train derailment in Northwest Montana just occurred pic.twitter.com/bjZPf5o4Dl
— Glen Hougen (@g_hougen) April 2, 2023
NBC Montana reported that the company that controls the railroad, Montana Rail Link, is aware of the problem but has not yet revealed who owns the train.
Reporters have reached out to the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office for comment, but they did not immediately return the request.
The crash comes less than a week after a 70-car train carrying hazardous materials derailed in North Dakota. The train derailed around 11:15 p.m., about a mile southeast of Wyndmere in Richland County, according to Canadian Pacific.
Officials said that of the 70 cars that derailed, 31 had hazardous materials, and crews were able to identify a leak of liquid asphalt. Fortunately, no fires were caused, and there was no risk to public safety.
Canadian Pacific said in a statement that there were no waterways in the vicinity and no evacuations were necessary.
Hazardous materials experts continued to assess the scene and work with first responders. The crews allowed the cold temperature to harden the leaked materials, which were expected to become gel. WZFG reported that clean-up is expected to take between seven and 10 days.
The Montana derailment is only the latest example of a recent string of train derailments in the U.S., which started when a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine on Feb. 3. One-fifth of the derailed cars contained hazardous chemicals that ended up burning or being released into the air.
The East Palestine derailment has also caused people to turn against the Biden administration, condemning its lackluster response. For instance, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg did not comment on the disaster until Monday, Feb. 13, 10 days after the horrific accident took place.
“I continue to be concerned about the impacts of the Feb 3 train derailment near East Palestine, OH, and the effects on families in the ten days since their lives were upended through no fault of their own,” Buttigieg tweeted.
