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Fiery train crash forces W Virginia towns to evacuate | Fiery train crash forces W Virginia towns to evacuate |
(about 17 hours later) | |
Two West Virginia towns have been evacuated after a freight train carrying crude oil derailed and burst into flames. | Two West Virginia towns have been evacuated after a freight train carrying crude oil derailed and burst into flames. |
Local websites published images of large flames and a thick plume of black smoke near a partly frozen river. | Local websites published images of large flames and a thick plume of black smoke near a partly frozen river. |
At least 14 railway wagons were affected and one plunged into the Kanawha River, state officials said. | |
There are also reports that one crashed into a house, but there were no initial reports of fatalities. | |
Rail company CSX said in a statement that one person was being treated for potential inhalation, but no other injuries were reported. | Rail company CSX said in a statement that one person was being treated for potential inhalation, but no other injuries were reported. |
Residents of Adena Village and Boomer have been urged to evacuate after the accident happened at 13:30 (18:30 GMT). | Residents of Adena Village and Boomer have been urged to evacuate after the accident happened at 13:30 (18:30 GMT). |
Darrin McGuffin, about a quarter of a mile from the scene, told the BBC the fire was still out of control late in the afternoon. | |
He estimated that about half a mile of the river was burning. | |
Lawrence Messina, of the State Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, told the BBC that the wagon that fell into the river is leaking oil. | |
State emergency response and environmental officials headed to the scene - a rural coal-mining area near Montgomery. | |
West Virginia American Water shut down a water treatment plant, located three miles away, an hour after the derailment, spokeswoman Laura Jordan said. The plant serves about 2,000 customers. | |
The state was under a winter storm warning and getting heavy snowfall at times, with as much as five inches in some places. It is unclear whether the snow contributed to the crash. | The state was under a winter storm warning and getting heavy snowfall at times, with as much as five inches in some places. It is unclear whether the snow contributed to the crash. |
The train consisted of two locomotives and 109 wagons and was travelling from North Dakota to Yorktown, Virginia. |