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A BRIDGE THAT crosses Yellowstone River in Montana has collapsed, causing parts of a freight train carrying hazardous materials to plunge into the flooded river below.
The train’s carriages were carrying asphalt and sulphur, said David Stamey, Stillwater County’s chief of emergency services.
Officials shut down drinking water intakes downstream while they evaluated the danger.
An Associated Press reporter witnessed a yellow liquid pouring out of tankers but Stamey said there was no immediate danger for the crews working at the site, and the hazardous material was being diluted by the swollen river.
The train crew was safe and no injuries were reported after the bridge collapse, according to a statement from Andy Garland, spokesman for the Montana Rail Link.
Garland said “several” tankers were partially submerged in the river early today, and crews were at the scene in Stillwater County, near the town of Columbus, about 65 kilometres west of Billings.
“We are committed to addressing any potential impacts to the area as a result of this incident and working to understand the reasons behind the accident,” Garland said.
In neighbouring Yellowstone County, officials said they instituted emergency measures at water treatment plants due to the “potential hazmat spill” and asked residents to conserve water.
The cause of the collapse is under investigation, he said.
The site is in a sparsely populated area in the Yellowstone River Valley, about 180 kilomtres north east of Yellowstone National Park.
The Montana Disaster Emergency Services has been notified. Federal Railroad Administrators officials were at the scene.
The river was swollen with recent heavy rains although it is unclear whether that contributed to the bridge collapse.
Kelly Hitchcock, of the Columbus Water Users, shut off the flow of river water into an irrigation ditch downstream from the collapsed bridge to prevent contents from the tankers reaching nearby farmland.
The Yellowstone saw record flooding in 2022 that caused extensive damage to Yellowstone National Park and adjacent towns in Montana.
The US Environmental Protection Agency notes that sulphur is a common element used as a fertiliser as well as an insecticide, fungicide and rodenticide.
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2.6 Trillion dollars to fix the US infrastructure that had been ignored for years. The Republicans initially wanted nothing to do with a bipartisan bill as it was Bidens bill. But after months of negotiations, it was eventually passed. The largest investment in decades….but too late for many, such as this bridge. America great…eh?
@Luma plex: never liked his movies
Fixing infrastructure is not the Republican way, it’s too woke or something.
USA spends almost a trillion a year on their military…
Hundreds of billions to Ukraine, while their own infrastructure and bridges are falling down.
Go figure, as they say there.
@Winston Smith: you left out the overfunding of their multitude of police forces, their poor educational system, no health care for all and no affordable housing.
First Yellowstone now Yellowwater. Where’s Kevin Costner when you need him.
American infrastructure has been neglected for years under both R and D administrations. Whatever happens is what you get if you only value $$. The US is the ostrich of the world.
I ate wasp larvae once, fried perfectly crispy in a wok with olive oil. Absolutely delicious !
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