Residents evacuated after train derails in US state of Minnesota

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Residents were evacuated from a small US Midwestern city after a 22-car train carrying ethanol derailed and caught fire early Thursday morning.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said current information indicates the crash in the state of Minnesota resulted in no injuries or fatalities, with personnel from the Federal Railroad Administration on the ground to carry out an investigation.

Residents of the small rural city of Raymond were awoken at roughly 1 a.m. (0600GMT) after the Burlington Northern Santa Fe train derailed, according to multiple reports. Raymond is roughly 110 miles (177 km) west of Minneapolis, the state’s biggest city.

Freight train crashes have been under increased scrutiny in the US since last month, when about 50 train cars – including about 20 with toxic chemicals – crashed in the Midwestern state of Ohio.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Waltz has been briefed on the situation and is currently heading to the scene of the derailment to meet with local officials after speaking to Buttigieg by phone.

"The state stands ready to protect the health and safety of the community," he said on Twitter.

Under federal law, the rail company is required to submit a report to the Federal Railroad Administration detailing the circumstances of the crash and what it believes to be the cause. The report is due within 30 days after the month in which the accident occurred. The report is then posted online three months later.

The railroad authority does not release any preliminary findings ahead of its final report, which is generally completed within six months of the accident.