(The Associated Press circulated the following on June 26.)
DES MOINES, Iowa — Two Union Pacific Corp. trains collided Tuesday afternoon in central Iowa, a railroad official said. No injuries were reported.
The crash happened about 3 p.m. about two miles west of Tama. It involved a 138-car coal train traveling from Wyoming to Iowa, and a 94-car container train traveling from Illinois to California, said James Barnes, a Union Pacific spokesman.
He said it appeared one train sideswiped another, but the accident was still under investigation. About 10 of the cars from the coal train derailed.
“There were no injuries or release of any chemicals,” Barnes said.
Tama County Sheriff Dennis Kucera said the crash happened along a wooded area on the Meskwaki Settlement.
“Both sets of tracks had rails twisted and torn apart,” Kucera said.
Roger Sanders, the settlement’s police chief, said the crash occurred on a Union Pacific right-of-way.
“There was no damage to the settlement,” he said, adding that the crash site stretches about a quarter-mile.