A train hauling ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire in Minnesota early Thursday and nearby residents were ordered to evacuate their homes, authorities said. The BNSF train derailed in the town of Raymond, roughly 160 kilometres west of Minneapolis, about 1 am, according to a statement from Kandiyohi County Sheriff Eric Tollefson. “There have been no injuries as a result of the crash or emergency response,” the sheriff’s department said in a Facebook post. Homes in an area 800m around the site were evacuated, according to the sheriff, and residents were taken to a shelter in nearby Prinsburg. US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told CNN that about 14 cars were carrying hazardous materials, including ethanol. “We’ve been in touch with the governor,” Mr Buttigieg said, and Environmental Protection Agency officials were en route to the site “given the hazardous material situation”. Mr Buttigieg said he has received no reports of deaths or injuries due to the derailment. Railroad safety has been in the spotlight nationally ever since last month’s fiery derailment of a Norfolk Southern train near East Palestine, Ohio. Roughly half of that town of about 5,000 people near the Pennsylvania border had to be evacuated after officials decided to release and burn toxic chemicals. Federal regulators and members of Congress have proposed reforms they want railroads to make to prevent future derailments. We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians of the lands where we live, learn, and work. This service may include material from Agence France-Presse (AFP), APTN, Reuters, AAP, CNN and the BBC World Service which is copyright and cannot be reproduced. AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)
