CLEVELAND, May 28 — One person is dead, one is injured and two are still missing after two Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight trains collided head-on this morning near Clarendon, Texas.
The severity of the injuries was not immediately known. Members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers’ Safety Task Force and the National Transportation Safety Board are enroute to the scene.
The trains crashed at approximately 9 a.m. about three miles west of Clarendon. According to reports, a north-bound coal train and a south-bound train collided, resulting in a fire. About six coal cars are off the tracks and eight to 10 cars from the other train were derailed.
The accident took place on a single main track, which is the main rail link between Fort Worth, Amarillo and Denver.
A large fireball erupted after the collision, sending columns of thick smoke into the air, witnesses told Amarillo television station KAMR.
About 2,000 people live in Clarendon, which is about 55 miles southeast of Amarillo.