Two train containers fell into the Mississippi River during a train derailment in southwestern Wisconsin on Thursday. According to Marc Myhre, who is the emergency management specialist in Crawford County, the train was carrying hazardous materials that may have been batteries, as reported by Independent. He also said that the train cars with hazardous materials were not the ones that fell into the river. BNSF Railway, the train operator said that some of the numerous containers that derailed but did not fall into the water carried paint and lithium-ion batterie, as reported by CNN.
According to the railway, all the crew members of the train were accounted for in the aftermath, but atleast one member was given medical attention. The railway told CNN that it was sending staff to the disaster site and will be starting an inquiry to determine what went wrong.
Around 12:15 p.m. local time, the train derailed outside of the tiny village of De Soto. De Soto is split between Crawford and Vernon counties and is directly across the river from Iowa. Myhre said that that while heavy rains had pushed the Mississippi River close to flood stage in certain areas, the train tracks where the incident happened were above the water on Thursday afternoon.
Earlier this year, a train that was carrying hazardous chemicals and derailed causing a major fire that sent a cloud of smoke over the town raising alarm over a possible imminent explosion.
Up to 2,000 residents living in the immediate area were evacuated as chemicals being carried by train, run by Norfolk Southern Corporation, were released to prevent an explosion. Amid rising environmental concerns, residents refer to the incident as ‘our Chernobyl’ comparing it with the deadly April 1986 nuclear accident in then-Soviet Ukraine, reported BBC.
According to reports, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said he was contacted after the disaster by US President Joe Biden. He said Biden offered any necessary federal assistance. "Look, the president called me and said, ‘Anything you need.’ I have not called him back after that conversation. We will not hesitate to do that if we’re seeing a problem or anything, but I’m not seeing it," DeWine reportedly said.
According to Fox News, DeWine's spokesperson Dan Tierney said that the Biden administration rejected a request for federal disaster assistance from Ohio Governor. He said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) told Ohio's state government that it was not eligible for disaster assistance.