Two trains collided on Tuesday morning in Texas. The crash generated a massive fireball in the sky and left three rail workers missing and an injured subject in the hospital. Authorities are working on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF), to determine the origin of the crash.
The accident occurred around 8 a.m in the Panhandle of Texas. Currently, authorities are working on finding three BNSF workers who were present during the collision. Witnesses claim a black cloud of smoke was left in the sky.
Joe Fust, a spokesman for the BNSF confirmed the trains were on the same track when the crash happened, causing the boxcars of the trains to light up a fire. The accident occurred nearby the town of Panhandle, located in the northeast of Amarillo.
Authorities have confirmed that the trains were not carrying dangerous materials, yet nearby residents were asked to leave their houses because of the smokey wind. Meanwhile, firefighters worked on putting the fire down.
The three BNSF workers are believed to be trapped in the crash. Meanwhile, the injured subject has been confirmed as the driver of one of the trains. Faust informed the man jumped out just before the accident happened.
Incredible photos show fiery aftermath of head-on train collision in Texas Panhandle: https://t.co/bpJKgToeKs pic.twitter.com/XKy5YCsKfs
— ABC 7 Chicago (@ABC7Chicago) June 28, 2016
An ongoing investigation
After the crash had occurred, authorities proceeded to stop the fire and warn nearby residents of smokey winds. Firefighters asked residents to minimize their water use since officials needed an enormous amount to put the fire out.
Spokesman Fust explained that even though the speed of the trains hasn’t been confirmed, the speed limit in the area is 70 mph. He assured the situation at the moment was “fluid” before the crash happened. The investigation is yet to answer why the machines were on the same track to determine a cause.
Head-on collision involving two freight trains causes several box cars to derail and erupt in flames in Texas. https://t.co/UPHB5oSqUc
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 28, 2016
“I don’t know how anyone survived. It’s terrible I’ve seen a number of train wrecks but I’ve never seen one like this,” said Billy Brown, a farmer in the area in a statement to the Washington Post.
It appears that the Texas town has very common train activity, The New York Times reports that one train passes every 15 minutes. So it is not uncommon for accidents to happened, yet it this one has been reported as the biggest.
Three years ago a similar incident occurred in the area, on September 2013 three trains collided in Amarillo Texas. Leaving five injured BNSF members, it was later confirmed that the incident occurred because one of the trains passed a signal improperly.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), has opened an investigation into the matter.Meanwhile, the BNSF is on the road of meeting a federal deadline to improve their train control system, with GPS trackers.
Source: The Big Story