MINOT, N.D. — One person died early Friday and more than a dozen were hospitalized after a train derailed near here, sending a cloud of anhydrous ammonia gas over the area, reports a wire service.
“It was like something just grabbed your lungs,” said State Senator Randy A. Schobinger, who lives about 500 feet from the tracks.
Gov. John Hoeven said more than 60 people went to the hospital and 13 were admitted, 7 to intensive care.
The authorities did not immediately identify the man who died, but said he was found outside his home, close to the wreck.
The accident occurred at 1:40 a.m. when about 30 cars of a 112-car Canadian Pacific Railway train derailed and a couple of them rolled away from the track, Governor Hoeven said. The train was headed from Medicine Hat, Alberta, to Minneapolis.
The railroad’s vice president, Patrick Pender, said that 17 or 18 of the cars were carrying anhydrous ammonia and that he believed at least 5 were punctured. The cause of the derailment was under investigation.
Anhydrous ammonia is a fertilizer that is stored in a liquid form but turns into a toxic gas when it contacts air. It can cause a burning sensation to the eyes and throat and, in some cases, can lead to suffocation.
Minot, population 36,000, is about 50 miles south of the Canadian border in the north-central part of the state.
Shortly after the wreck, Minot residents were warned to stay inside their homes. By noon, the area was returning to normal except for about a square mile around the derailment, officials said.
The state’s emergency manager, Doug Friez, said some people were evacuated from their homes, but he did not say how many.
Edison Elementary School, in southwest Minot, was set up as one of several public shelters, drawing about 80 people.