CLEVELAND, June 28 — The BLET Safety Task Force is en route to the scene of a collision between two trains this morning near San Antonio, Texas, in order to assist the National Transportation Safety Board in its investigation. The collision and derailment caused an ammonium chloride and chlorine gas spill.
There have been unconfirmed reports of a crew member fatality resulting from this accident.
San Antonio fire chief Randy Jenkins said that a Union Pacific train and BNSF train collided at approximately 5:30 a.m. One tanker was punctured and released the fumes.
The train derailed around Southwest Loop 1604 and Nelson Road, near the town of Macdona. A total of 23 cars from the two trains derailed, according to fire officials.
About 15 people were sent to the hospital with respiratory problems and burning eyes after they were affected or overcome by the fumes.
Eyewitnesses at the scene said a cloud of fumes surrounded the area.
(San Antonio television station KENS 5 Eyewitness News contributed to this article.)