Train derails in Washington, no injuries reported

Washington, March 17

A train derailed on the Swinomish Reservation in the Anacortes area in the US state of Washington, according to the state Department of Ecology.

About 5,000 gallons of diesel had leaked as a result of the derailment on Thursday, the Department said, adding that there were no injuries, reports Xinhua news agency.

The BNSF Railway train could contain up to 10,000 gallons of diesel, it added.

The Department of Ecology and the Marine Spill Response Corp. had responded to the scene.

The train was travelling east when both engines and at least one other car derailed before reaching a bridge that crosses the Swinomish Channel, said Swinomish Police Chief Earl Cowan in a statement.

The spill happened on a berm bordering a river, and most of the diesel leaked on the land side, the Department said.

The Department receives more than 4,000 spill reports each year. Washington's last oil spill caused by a train was a BNSF train derailment in Custer in December 2020, during which an estimated 28,962 gallons of oil were spilled, according to a report by The Seattle Times.