A train carrying bombs, ammonium nitrate, and grenades has derailed in Elko County, Nevada, but all that spilled was vegetable oil.
Union Pacific Railroad, which was overseeing the train involved, said 22 cars derailed near Wells, Nevada, about 10:20 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
“No hazardous materials were involved and no one was injured,” UP spokesman Tim McMahan told the Elko Daily.
The Elko County Sheriff’s Department said in a Facebook postthat the train was carrying munitions, but they were located on the opposite end of the train, away from the derailment.
“Rail cars containing munitions are located at the opposite end of the train, away from the derailment,” the sheriff’s department said.
Video posted on Twitter appeared to show smoke billowing from the train.
Major train accident east of Elko #train #traincrash #Nevada #FoxNews #chemicals #I80 #nhp #HazMat pic.twitter.com/iPsyi6HEzy
— Michael Lyday (@eliteservicesUT) June 19, 2019
Emergency responders said they found a “white powdery substance” all over the ground near the derailment. The sheriff’s department said the powder was aluminum oxide.
A public-safety alert from the Elko City and County Public Safety Department posted on Twitter said the train was carrying grenades, bombs, and ammonium nitrate, a chemical compound commonly used in fertilizers and explosives.
Lt. McKinney of the Elko County Sheriff’s Office told Fox 13 he believed the train was also carrying military munitions.
The Elko County Sheriff’s Office said Interstate 80 was closed temporarily in both directions near Wells, in northeast Nevada, following the derailment.
Union Pacific started a cleanup of the area almost immediately. McMahan told the Elko Daily that an investigation into the derailment was underway.
In 2004, flammable cargo, including ammonium nitrate, exploded at the Ryongchon rail station in North Korea near its border with China. The disaster killed at least 54 people and injured 1,249, according to The New York Times.