What we know about the train derailment in Wisconsin
A train through the BNSF railroad company derailed in southwest Wisconsin along the Mississippi River in Crawford County Thursday afternoon.
Details are still fluid but here's what we know so far.
Where did the trail derailment happen?
The derailment occurred in the villages of Ferryville and De Soto in Crawford County, about 30 miles south of La Crosse.
Was anyone injured in the train derailment?
Four members of the train's crew received medical attention, according to local officials. Several train cars are in the Mississippi River and along its bluff, according to railway officials and the Crawford County Sheriff's Office.
What was on the train?
According to Jim Hackett, director of emergency management for Crawford County, the cargo of the train contained paint, lithium-ion batteries, and oxygen tanks. Paint was in the containers that entered the river, Hackett said.
What caused the train to derail in De Soto, Wisconsin?
It's still unclear, the cause is under investigation, though Mississippi River floodwaters have inundated the area in the last week, causing a bridge that connects the De Soto area and Lansing, Iowa, to shut down.
Should residents be concerned after the train derailment?
Residents have been told they don't have to evacuate, the Crawford County Sheriff's Office said. Officials said the derailment doesn't pose a risk to the river or the communities, although a fuel leak did approach the river's edge but hazmat officials were certain that absorbent boom would capture the leak.
What is the railroad company involved?
The railroad company, BNSF Railway, is also known as Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
What other train derailments have happened in 2023?
Wisconsin had seen one train derailment through Jan. 31, the last update from the Federal Railroad Administration. The state experienced 11 derailments in 2022, and 15 in 2021.
Across the U.S., 1,173 derailments occurred last year and 1,099 the year before. That’s a significant improvement from past decades. For example, more than 8,000 trains derailed in 1977.
A toxic train derailment that led to a fire in February in East Palestine, Ohio, killed more than 43,000 fish and animals and caused residents to evacuate due to the threat of an explosion after five tankers filled with vinyl chloride were breached.
A BNSF train hauling ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire in Raymond, Minnesota, last month. Hundreds were forced to evacuate.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What caused the BNSF train derailment in Wisconsin near De Soto?
