Corn Syrup Train Derails in Arizona

Company says no hazardous materials were involved
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 16, 2023 7:16 AM CDT
Train Hauling Corn Syrup Derails in Arizona
In this July 27, 2015, file photo, a BNSF Railway Company train is parked in Seattle.   (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson, File)

Another freight train has derailed, but only health campaigners would consider its cargo hazardous. BNSF Railway said the train that derailed near Topock in western Arizona Wednesday night was carrying corn syrup, reports Reuters. The company said around eight cars derailed at 7:40pm and there were no reports of injuries or spills. The Mohave County Sheriff's Office initially said the train was carrying hazardous materials, raising fears of a toxic disaster like last month's derailment in Ohio, the New York Times reports.

BNSF, which operates a freight network across the US and parts of Canada, says it is investigating the incident. Morgan Stessman, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Las Vegas, says there was bad weather in the area at the time and a tornado warning was in effect until around two hours before the derailment, the Times reports. Stessman says the accident happened at a site where a bridge crosses a normally dry channel, and it's possible heavy rain and runoff could have damaged the bridge or the tracks. (More derailment stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X