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Train derails in NW Iowa, dumping sand, railcars into river

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September 23rd, 2018 by Ric Hanson

ALTON, Iowa (AP) — No injuries were reported when a train derailed in northwest Iowa but 20 of the cars carrying soybean oil and sand fell into the flooded Floyd River.
The Des Moines Register reports the bridge beneath the Union Pacific train collapsed as part of the derailment on Sunday morning. Officials said no hazardous materials leaked into the river.

The Sioux County Sheriff’s Department shot video showing the mangled pile of rail cars and the bridge in the river. Alton City Administrator Dale Oltmans says the derailment happened around 4:30 a.m. Sunday on the outside edge of the small town of Alton, Iowa.

Union Pacific spokeswoman Raquel Espinoza said recent flooding and heavy rain may have contributed to the derailment. The train was traveling from Mankato, Minnesota, to North Platte, Nebraska.