China News Service, May 17 (Central News Agency) reported that on the 16th local time, the US authorities stated that a train full of hazardous fertilizers and combustible ammonium nitrate derailed and caught fire in the small town of Sibley, Iowa. People evacuated urgently. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported so far.
According to reports, this train has 47 carriages. It derailed in Sibley on the afternoon of the 16th and caught fire. Thick black smoke went straight into the sky. The authorities are still investigating the cause of the incident.
Less than an hour after the train derailed, local officials issued an evacuation order to residents within an 8 km radius of the incident.
According to the Iowa State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management: "About 80 people were evacuated."
The train company said in a statement that “no casualties were reported on the train” and that the company was cooperating with emergency responders who were present.
According to the report, Sibley Fire Chief Ken Huls said that the trains on this train were full of fertilizers and combustible ammonium nitrate.