Empty tank cars derail in Texas rail yard, no injuries

KENDLETON, Texas (AP) — Three empty tank cars derailed but remained upright in a Southeast Texas rail yard on Monday, the train’s owner said, and no one was hurt.

A locomotive leaked fuel but it was contained, Kansas City Southern spokesperson C. Doniele Carlson said in a statement.

The derailment took place at around 7 a.m. in Kendleton, Texas, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Houston, Carlson said.

“No injuries were reported and there is no track damage,” she said. The impacted rail line was expected to reopen later Monday morning.

Officials with the Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office said they did not respond to the incident because it was contained to the rail yard.

The cause of the derailment is under investigation, Carlson said.

Federal regulators and members of Congress are urging railroads to do more to prevent derailments after recent fiery wrecks involving hazardous chemicals in Ohio and Minnesota prompted evacuations.