Bridge collapses in the US, many freight cars fall into the river

Montana Rail Link, the company that operates the train, said in a statement that “several cars” plunged into the river. No injuries were reported among the train crew, it said.

The company said the rail cars were carrying molten asphalt and sulfur, which rapidly solidify when exposed to colder temperatures.

Montana Rail Link said two cars transporting sodium hydrogen sulfate, an acidic salt, did not fall into the water and initial air quality assessments showed the chemical did not escape from the cars.

Multiple local, state and federal agencies are responding and working to determine the cause of the derailment. Authorities are “uncertain” which happened first – the train derailment or the bridge collapse.

“Water treatment plants, irrigation and industrial companies are taking appropriate precautions,” the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office in Billings said in a Facebook post.

The incident occurred around 6:45 a.m. local time Saturday as the oil train was traveling westbound near Reed Point through sparsely populated rural Stillwater County, according to Montana Rail Link.

Bui Huy (according to AP, Reuters)