SANDSTONE, W.Va. (AP) — An empty coal train hit a rockslide along tracks in West Virginia on Wednesday morning, causing a fiery derailment that injured three crewmembers, CSX Transportation said in a statement.
Four locomotives and 22 empty cars derailed in Summers County near the New River, CSX said. The lead locomotive, which carried a conductor, an engineer and an engineer trainee, caught fire and the crewmembers were being evaluated and treated for non-life threatening injuries, the company said.
Jenny Harnish/The Register-Herald via AP
CSX said an unoccupied locomotive was partially in the waterway where an unknown amount of diesel fuel and oil spilled, officials said. Environmental teams were deploying containment measures.
The derailment occurred in a remote area just south of Sandstone inside the New River National Park and Preserve, according to a statement from the West Virginia Emergency Management Division. Several state agencies are monitoring the situation and said public water systems downstream have been notified and are monitoring for any potential public health impacts.
No hazardous materials were being transported and there was no danger to the public, CSX said.
The company said employee and community safety was a top priority as it sends teams to assess the situation and develop a recovery plan.