A train carrying hazardous materials plunges into the Yellowstone River after the bridge is damaged : NPR
Several train carriages sank in the Yellowstone River following a bridge collapse near Columbus, Mont., on Saturday. The bridge collapsed during the night, sending a train passing through it plunging into the waters below.
Matthew Brown / AP
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Matthew Brown / AP
Several train carriages sank in the Yellowstone River following a bridge collapse near Columbus, Mont., on Saturday. The bridge collapsed during the night, sending a train passing through it plunging into the waters below.
Matthew Brown / AP
COLUMBUS, Mont. – A bridge crosses golden river in Montana collapsed early Saturday morning, submerging parts of a freight train carrying dangerous materials into the fast-moving water below.
The wagons carried hot asphalt and molten sulfur, Stillwater County Disaster and Emergency Services said. Officials closed down drinking water access downstream while they assessed the danger level following the 6 a.m. crash. An Associated Press reporter witnessed a yellow substance seeping out of several tank trucks.
David Stamey, the county’s director of emergency services, said there was no immediate danger to crews working at the site and hazardous material was being diluted by rising river waters. There are three asphalt wagons and four sulfur carriages in the river.
Andy Garland, a spokesman for Montana Rail Link, said the train was safe and no injuries were reported. Both asphalt and sulfur solidify rapidly when exposed to colder temperatures, he said.
Railroad officers were on the scene in Stillwater County, near the town of Columbus, about 40 miles west of Billings. The area is located in the sparsely populated part of the Yellowstone River Valley, surrounded by farmland and farmland. The river there flows about 110 miles southwest of Yellowstone National Park.
“We are committed to addressing any potential impact to the area as a result of this incident and working to understand the reasons behind the accident,” Garland said.
High-speed provider Global Net said the bridge collapse also cut fiber optic cables providing internet services to many customers in the state.
“This is the main fiber optic route… through Montana,” an audio recording on the company’s phone line said Saturday. “This is affecting all Global Net customers. The connection will be interrupted or extremely slow.”
In neighboring Yellowstone County, officials said they had instituted emergency measures at water treatment plants due to “potential toxic spills” and asked residents to conserve water.
The cause of the collapse is under investigation. The river is high after recent heavy rains, but it is not clear if that is a cause.
gold stone see record flooding in 2022 caused extensive damage to Yellowstone National Park and nearby towns in Montana. Robert Bea, a retired engineering professor at the University of California Berkeley who has analyzed the causes of hundreds of major disasters, says the rivers’ repeated heavy outflows over many years have provided clues. clues to possible causes.
“The high flow of water leads to large forces acting directly on the dock and, importantly, on the riverbed,” says Bea. “You can have erosion or erosion that takes away the support of the foundation. High forces lead to a high chance of structural or foundation failure, which can act as a trigger. accident.”
An old highway bridge paralleling the railroad bridge – these are collectively known as the Twin Bridge – was demolished in 2021 after the Montana Department of Transportation determined it was in imminent danger of toppling. It is not clear when the railway bridge was built or when it was last inspected.
Bea said investigators also want to look at whether parts of the bridge are worn or rusted, as well as maintenance, repair and inspection records.
Federal Railroad Administration officials were on the scene.
Kelly Hitchcock of Columbus Water Users blocked river water from entering an irrigation ditch downstream of a collapsed bridge to prevent the contents of the tank truck from reaching nearby farmland. Hitchcock said the Stillwater County Sheriff’s Office called the group Saturday morning to warn of the collapse.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency notes that sulfur is a common element used as a fertilizer as well as an insecticide, fungicide, and rodenticide.
