(The Associated Press circulated the following story on September 9.)
KIOWA, Kan. — Ten cars on Burlington Northern-Santa Fe train derailed Monday in Barber County near the Kansas-Oklahoma border, forcing the evacuation of people living within a one-mile radius.
Joy Moser, spokeswoman for the Kansas Division of Emergency Management, said the derailment occurred about 2:30 p.m. northeast of Kiowa, about 100 miles southwest of Wichita. She did not know the cause.
Moser did not know how many people were evacuated, or whether there were injuries.
The accident was near Kansas 2 and Rattlesnake Trail. Moser said a portion of the train carried a hazardous material, which wasn’t identified.
Also, 6,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled from the locomotive, but was contained, Moser said. Fire crews were standing by, and railroad representatives were on their way, she said.
A dispatcher for the Kansas Highway Patrol in Salina said each of the derailed cars carried two or three semitrailers with freight. She said Kansas 2 northeast of Kiowa was likely to remain closed two or three days for cleaning but already was blocked because of construction.