Two Trains Collide In Minnesota Fall Into Mississippi River

The trains were carrying liquid ammonia and propane and have been reported as leaking after the crash. However, no homes in the immediate area have been evacuated. Authorities are also reporting only two injuries in the wake of the train crash in Dresbach, located in Southeastern Minnesota.

According to officials, the trains owned by Canadian Pacific (CP) railway were traveling on the north and south railroad tracks that run parallel to the Mississippi river and Interstate Hwy 90. The tracks are 20-30 feet above an embankment from the river. Two train crew members were taken to the hospital for minor injuries according to CP spokesman Mike Lovecchio.

"We are not counting them as injuries." At that spot, Lovecchio said, there is a siding (tracks that act as a passing lane). "How these two trains made contact with each other is obviously part of the investigation," he said. "We will be doing a comprehensive investigation and cooperating fully with the investigating authorities."

The trains collided as one train that was coming from Portage, Wisconsin was pulling 100 cars, while the other train coming from La Crescent, Minnesota was carrying 15 train cars. Only 49 trains were still on the tracks while the remainder of the train cars, a total of 115 were not according to La Crescent Fire Chief Bernie Buehler.

Law enforcement officials said this is the first crash of this type in 30 years in that area. Dresbach is located 150 miles southeast of the Twin Cities. Seeing that there were no fatalities, officials are now concentrating their efforts on retrieving the train cars from the Mississippi River at this time.