Over one hundred train cars derailed after a line of severe thunderstorms rolled through Kansas early Sunday (August 18) morning. The storms packed winds between 65 and 70 miles per hour and toppled 90 cars on one train and 50 on another. One of the trains was parked in a storage yard, while the other train was traveling at around 15 mph as it prepared to stop due to the dangerous storms.
One resident couldn't believe the winds were strong enough to knock over the train cars.
"It's definitely the first time we've seen a train knocked over and seen this much destruction on spot," A.J. Dugan told KWCH-TV.
Officials say that nobody was injured in the derailment and none of the cars were carrying hazardous materials. Crews are working to remove the derailed cars and fix the broken sections of track, but the cleanup effort could take a long time. Workers were forced to shut down all but one lane of a major highway as they used cranes to remove the toppled cars.
"They'll pick up the cars and try to repair some of the track and get some cars back on and moving," Mike Reynolds, a resident and former railroad worker told KSN-TV. "But, they got to get the cars out of the way first."
For now, all freight traffic is being rerouted along different tracks. Officials do not have a timetable for when the tracks will be cleared.