Train derailment causes coal, several hundred gallons of diesel to spill into Mississippi River
By Emily Bell
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR) is working with local emergency responders, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Coast Guard after a train derailment caused coal and several hundred gallons of diesel to spill into the Mississippi River over the weekend.
According to the Iowa DNR, a train collided with a barge that had been parked along the shore of the Mississippi River at approximately 11:50 p.m. Saturday near Montrose in Lee County.
“The southbound train operated by BNSF hit the stationary barge, derailing two locomotives and overturning several coal cars between the main line and side track,” said the department in a news release. “Several hundred gallons of diesel were released on the ballast material and were seeping into the Mississippi River from the locomotive fuel tank. A number of coal cars spilled an unknown quantity of coal into the river.”
No injuries were reported.
