Two trains collide head-on in Texas Panhandle
AMARILLO, Texas - A head-on collision involving two freight trains caused several box cars to derail and erupt in flames in the Texas Panhandle on Tuesday, injuring an unknown amount of people and leading authorities to evacuate people who live nearby.
The accident happened near the town of Panhandle, about 25 miles northeast of Amarillo, according to Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Bryan Witt. He had no cause or other details because emergency responders were still assessing the damage, Witt said.
The collision at about 8:40 a.m. involved two BNSF freight trains, railway spokesman Joe Faust said.
BNSF officials confirmed to CBS affiliate KFDA-TV that the lead locomotives on two intermodal trains collided.
"One person was transported by EMS to the Northwest Texas Hospital in Amarillo," said Dan Buesing with the Texas Department of Public Safety. "We still have 3 people unaccounted for, and unfortunately we do fear that they may still be trapped in the train at this time."
Federal Railroad Administration investigators were on the scene, agency spokesman Matthew Lehner said.
The city of Panhandle told KFDA that residents east of SH 207 were being evacuated due to shifting winds near the area of the wreck. Additionally, the airspace near the wreck was shut down due to the large amount of smoke.
Billy Brown, a farmer who lives in the area, said he saw a fireball erupt after the collision. Images provided by KFDA-TV in Amarillo showed thick, black smoke billowing from a jumble of several box cars that were strewn along the tracks.
"I don't know how anyone survived," Brown said. "It's terrible. I've seen a number of train wrecks but I've never seen one like this."
Highway 60 in Panhandle, Tx in Carson County is closed because of train derailment & fire. Avoid the area. No word on when it will reopen.
— TxDOT Amarillo (@TxDOTAmarillo) June 28, 2016
Buesing said it's not unusual to have an accident in the Panhandle involving a truck that's struck by a freight train, but the magnitude of Tuesday's accident was startling.
Officials also asked residents to curtail water use because the water supply was being depleted by firefighters at the scene, according to KVII-TV in Amarillo.