EARLINGTON, Ky. — A CSX train was derailed early Saturday morning by one of a series of tornadoes that struck across a six-state area, with one car reportedly landing on a nearby home.
CSX said in response to an inquiry from Trains News Wire that 28 cars, all empty, had derailed shortly after midnight. There were no injuries to the crew and no reported releases of materials into the environment. The railroad also says that contrary to a news report, no railcar hit a house.
The Evansville Courier & Press reports one car ended up some 75 yards off the tracks and up a hill. Several homes in the area were destroyed. The newspaper reports the time of the derailment was not known, but a tornado emergency was declared at 10:43 p.m. by the National Weather Service.
“The safety of the community is our top priority as we work on our recovery plan,” the railroad said in its statement. “CSX personnel are coordinating with local emergency responders to stage the site in order to clear the derailed cars from the tracks.”
Earlington is in Western Kentucky, about 50 miles south of Evansville, Ind., and about 120 miles southwest of Louisville.
CNN is reporting Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is saying at least 50 people in his state have been killed by the tornadoes, and that the death toll could be as high as 100. One tornado may have stayed on the ground for over 200 miles from Arkansas to Kentucky.
Overall, more than 30 tornadoes have been reported in six states, with other known fatalities at an Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Ill., and a nursing home in Monette, Ark. Tennessee, Mississippi, and Missouri also reported tornadoes.
— Updated at 11 a.m. CST with information from CSX.
