COLUMBUS, Mont. — A bridge collapsed beneath a Montana Rail Link train Saturday morning, sending cars carrying asphalt and molten sulphur into the Yellowstone River and creating drinking-water issues downstream.
The Billings Gazette reports the accident occurred about 6:45 a.m.; the Stillwater County Department of Emergency Services says three cars of hot asphalt and four cars of sulphur entered the river. Other tank cars carrying petroleum products and hydrogen sulfate were in the train’s consist but did not enter the water, according to an MRL statement.
No one was injured, Stillwater County emergency officials said.
There was no immediate indication what caused the bridge collapse. The Gazette reported that investigators on the scene said it will take a lengthy investigation to sort out what happened, given that wreckage from the train is badly mangled and much of it is currently under water.
“The present focus of operations is safety responding to the emergency, controlling all releases, and mitigating impacts,” the railroad said in its statement. “ MRL will work with local, state, and federal partners to assess impacts to natural resources and to develop appropriate cleanup, removal, and restoration efforts.”
The current high water level in the river will help dilute and disperse the chemicals, but also made it impossible to contain the spill with a boom, said Columbus Fire Chief Rich Cowger.
Water treatment plants and other users of river water, such as irrigation districts, are closing flood gates and taking other measures. Officials in Billings, about 40 miles downstream, were planning to test the water before it reached the city to determine its chemical content, and were prepared to briefly shut down the water plant if necessary. The water with the spilled chemicals was expected to reach the city about 8 p.m.
The Associated Press reports that elsewhere in Yellowstone County, which includes Billings, officials had asked residents to conserve water and said they were instituting emergency measures at water treatment facilities.
The water involved in the accident is flowing away from Yellowstone National Park, which is to the southwest.
No information was immediately available on how long MRL’s main line might be closed.
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