Sixteen corn-carrying railcars derailed under a critical railroad overpass in the northeastern Nevada city of Elko early Wednesday, but no injuries were reported and no hazardous materials were involved, authorities said. .
Elko Police Lt. Rick Moore said the Union Pacific train derailed just before 5 a.m., crashing into a bridge support, colliding with stacks of grain hoppers and a sound barrier, and crashing into the 12th Street overpass. Concerns were raised about the structural integrity.
The accident near the Humboldt River caused an Amtrak passenger train to stall and spill corn kernels, but “by providence, I missed the Amtrak kiosk,” Moore told The Associated Press.
1 person killed, 1 sent to hospital after Phoenix light rail train collides with car
Union Pacific spokeswoman Robin Tisber said the cause of the derailment is under investigation and that Nevada Department of Transportation engineers will inspect the overpass before it is allowed to reopen.
The scene of the Union Pacific freight train derailment in Elko, Nevada on February 28, 2024. (Rick Moore/Elko Police Department, via AP)
Moore said the cleanup and inspection is expected to take at least 24 hours and will disrupt vehicular traffic and shut down eastbound and westbound train traffic.
This track serves Amtrak passenger trains between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area. Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said no Amtrak trains were involved in the derailment. He said officials expect at least two California Zephyr passenger trains to be delayed.
Moore said it was unclear whether anyone was nearby at the time of the accident, but a utility pole had fallen.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Megyn Delaney, a spokeswoman for Nevada Energy, the state’s main power provider, said power service to nearby homes and businesses was uninterrupted.
