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mahatmakanejeeves

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Mon Apr 24, 2023, 11:24 AM Apr 2023

NTSB: Fractured Rail Identified in Fiery BNSF Minnesota Derailment

April 19, 2023 | Safety

NTSB: Fractured Rail Identified in Fiery BNSF Minnesota Derailment

Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor



Aerial view of the derailment site. (Courtesy of BNSF)​

BNSF railroad is analyzing a section of fractured rail following last month's fiery derailment that forced evacuations in southwest Minnesota, federal investigators said; however they have not officially concluded that the broken rail caused the crash.

On April 18, the National Transportation Safety Board issued its preliminary report on the March 30, 2023, derailment in Raymond, Minnesota.

On March 30, Northbound BNSF Railway freight train L-TWI8801-29I derailed 23 mixed freight railcars on the Marshall District at milepost 11.871 in Raymond around 12:58 a.m. local time.

The train was carrying 14 hazardous materials tank cars, 10 of which derailed. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, the derailed tank cars contained denatured ethanol, some of which was released and contributed to a fire.

The incident commander imposed a precautionary 1/2-mile evacuation radius, affecting approximately 800 residents. The fire was extinguished during the morning of March 31, 2023, BNSF officials said. No fatalities or injuries were reported.

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