Two Union Pacific employees were killed, and three others were injured when a freight train collided with a tractor-trailer and derailed in West Texas Wednesday, authorities say.
The collision occurred at a crossing in Pecos, Texas, near U.S. Highway 285 and Dot Stafford Street, at about 5 p.m. CT. The train derailed less than a block away and crashed into the town's Chamber of Commerce building.
Video shared by Midland, Texas NBC-affiliate KWES-TV showed a tractor-trailer carrying a large cylinder stopped at the crossing and a train barrelling into the trailer, ripping it from the tractor.
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Officials confirmed Thursday that two Union Pacific employees died after the crash. The names of the employees have not yet been released. Three others suffered minor injuries in the collision, according to Pecos Police Chief Lisa Tarango.
At a news conference Wednesday night, Pecos City Manager Charles Lino said three train cars carried hazardous materials, but no chemical leaks occurred. Lino added that diesel from the train’s engine had spilled but had been contained and assured that there was no current threat to the public.
The hazardous materials on the train included lithium-ion batteries and airbags, but none were released in the derailment. Officials said that spilled diesel fuel was contained.
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Ronald Lee, emergency services chief for Reeves County, said that some of those injured were in the Chamber of Commerce building, which was damaged in the derailment. He said damage to the building was “significant enough” that officials have advised that no one enter until an engineer can inspect it.
Eddie Hall, national president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union that represents engineers, said in a statement that the derailment is “a reminder that much more needs to be done to make railroading safer.” The derailment, he said, “should serve as a wake-up call to legislators to improve rail safety."
Images from the crash site in Pecos show that the train was hauling metal shipping containers stacked two high.
Pecos has a population of about 13,000 and is about 200 miles east of El Paso and about 400 miles west of Dallas-Fort Worth.
Tarango said the clean-up was underway. The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team to investigate.
