MARCH 25, 2015
LOVELOCK, NEVADA
Update 7:30 p.m.: About three football fields of the desert
floor was strewn with cardboard boxes, wooden pieces and train car wreckage
Wednesday evening after a train derailed near Lovelock, Nev., according to RGJ
reporter Marcella Corona.
She said about 30 of the 48 cars that derailed are
completely off the tracks and are piled on top of each other.
It also appears a power line and some nearby pipes were
damaged by the train. The train tracks run parallel to U.S. 95.
Update 6:15 p.m.: U.S. 95 has reopened after a train
derailed near the highway Wednesday afternoon, according to the Nevada Highway
Patrol.
The highway was closed while officials tried to see if any
hazardous materials were inside the derailed train cars. Officials said it
appears there were none.
Update: The majority of a 51-car train derailed near
Lovelock, Nev., Wednesday afternoon, a Union Pacific official said.
Forty-eight cars derailed about 3:40 p.m., shutting down
U.S. 95 in both directions. It's unknown if the train was carrying hazardous
materials, though a team is en route to investigate, said Frank Castillo of
Union Pacific.
"No injuries are reported at this time," he said.
The Reno Gazette-Journal has a crew heading to the site of
the crash. Stay tuned for more updates.
Original post: Nevada Highway Patrol has shut down U.S.
Highway 95 at mile marker 47 in Churchill County because of a train derailment,
Trooper Dave Gibson said.
The highway is closed for a possible hazardous materials
spill, although such a spill has not been confirmed. Gibson said the highway
closure is precautionary.