Bridge collapses in the United States, many freight train tankers fall into the river, asphalt and sulfur flow into the water

Washington. A bridge over the Yellowstone River in the US state of Montana collapsed in the early hours of Saturday. Due to which some wagons of the freight train carrying hazardous materials fell into the fast flowing water. Stillwater County Disaster and Emergency Services said tankers on the freight train were carrying hot asphalt and molten sulfur. As they assess the threat after the accident at 6 a.m., the authorities cut off the drinking water supply to areas downstream of the river. A reporter saw a yellow substance coming out of some tankers.

David Stamey, county emergency services chief, said there was no immediate danger to workers working at the site. The amount of hazardous materials loaded onto the trains is decreasing due to the flooding of the river. Three asphalt tankers and four sulfur tankers fell into the river. Andy Garland, a spokesman for Montana Rail Link, said in a statement that the train crew is safe and no injuries have been reported. He said asphalt and sulfur solidify quickly when exposed to cold temperatures.

Railroad workers were said to have arrived at the scene after the train crash in Stillwater County, near the city of Columbus, about 40 miles (about 64 kilometers) west of Billings. The area is in a sparsely populated part of the Yellowstone River Valley surrounded by ranches and farms. There, the river flows well past Yellowstone National Park, located about 177 km to the southwest. Garland said “we are committed to addressing any possible impact to the region as a result of this incident and working accordingly to understand the reasons for the accident.”

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While Global Net, which provides high-speed internet service, said the fiber optic cable providing internet service to many customers in the state was also broken due to the bridge collapse. Officials in neighboring Yellowstone County said they took emergency action at a water treatment plant because of a “potentially dangerous leak” and asked residents to conserve water. However, the reasons for the bridge collapse are under investigation. The river has been swollen due to recent heavy rains. It is not clear if the bridge is broken because of this or if it is broken for some other reason.

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Tags: US news, bridge collapse, train wreck, American News