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A freight train traveling through Texas’s Reeves County derailed when it collided with a tractor trailer, before slamming into a building, authorities said, leaving one person dead and several others injured.
Officials in Pecos City declared a major accident after the train crashed into the town’s Chamber of Commerce building near the intersection of Oak Street and Dot Stafford Street.
Authorties were on the scene gathering details and assessing the situation after it came off its tracks just before 5.00 p.m. on Wednesday.
One person had been killed and another four people injured, including one casualty who sustained serious wounds, county officials confirmed. They were transported to an Odessa hospital for treatment, authorities said.
The three other casualties were treated at a local hopsital, officials said.
“We did have a tractor trailer struck by a train which did cause a derailment a little before 5.00 p.m. today,” Pecos City manager Charles Lino confirmed to reporters on Wednesday evening after initial reports said the vehicle involed was an 18-wheeler truck.
It is not clear how the tractor trailer became stuck on the tracks. Police have not revealed whether the victims were from inside the building, inside the train, or pedestrians on the street. The conditon of either driver is not known.
The Pecos Police Deparment is now leading the investigation with support from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Video of the collision, which was obtained by NewsWest 9, shows the moment the train barrels into the vehicle. “That’s not good,” the witness behind the camera says as he watches the collision from his own vehicle.
Harrowing footage shared to Facebook by Reeves County officials shows the aftermath of the crash, including train cars strewn besides the tracks. Police, firefighters, ambulances and other vehicles appearing to attempt to clear up the area are also seen in the video.
The public has been urged to avoid the area for safety reasons, authorites said in a public notice on Wednesday evening.
Three train cars that carried potentially hazardous materials were derailed, however, there were no known leaks of the dangerous cargo. The only spillage was diesel from an engine that has since been contained.
Eddie Morales Jr, a local state representative, said on Facebook that he has been contacted the Texas Department of Emergency Management and local other officials.
No other details have been released. An update is expected at 10.00 a.m. local time on Thursday morning.
The Independent has contacted the Pecos Police Department for more information.
Source: independent.co.uk
