A freight train derailed Thursday in Wisconsin near the Mississippi River, injuring one person and sending two railcars into the water.
The BNSF Railway train derailment occurred near DeSoto around 12:15 p.m. local time, the railroad company told Fox News Digital.
Two railcars ended up in the river, but washed ashore. Hazardous materials believed to be batteries were on board, but have been contained and don’t pose a threat to the public, officials said.
“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,” a BNSF statement said. “The main track is blocked in both directions and an estimated time for reopening the track is not available.”
All crew members were accounted for, with one receiving a medical evaluation, the company said. Local first responders were also on-site.
BNSF said company personnel were en route to the scene and the cause of the incident is under investigation.
Video of the wreckage filmed by a bystander appears to show cargo boxes along the railway and the river.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers tweeted that he was monitoring the situation and was getting regular updates from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, the Department of Natural Resources, and state emergency management officials.
U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wisconsin, who sits on the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, released a statement on the matter.
“My staff was just made aware of a train derailment in our District south of the Lansing Bridge in Ferryville,” his office tweeted. “We have begun to coordinate with BNSF, FEMA, Wisconsin Emergency Management, the state and national Departments of Transportation, Crawford County officials, and Congresswoman Ashley Hinson (IA-2), whose District may also be impacted, to get answers on what occurred.”
He added that his staff was traveling to the derailment site and will continue to monitor the situation.
Kinda strange that most of these “derailments” happen in red states, near water. Nope nothing o see here!