Cargo Train Derails in California Desert; No Injuries Reported

A freight train derailed in the Southern California desert on Wednesday, sending more than 40 rail cars crashing into the sand, authorities said.

Nobody was hurt and there was no fire when the BNSF Railway train went off the tracks around midday near the remote Mojave community of Ludlow, the San Bernardino County Fire Department said on Twitter.

Photos and video tweeted by the fire department showed cars piled up along the tracks, some on their sides.

“Initial reports indicate 44 cars derailed, and one car carrying ethanol alcohol is leaking,” BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent said in an email.

A hazardous materials spill was quickly mitigated, the fire department said.

The train was carrying mixed freight, Kent said.

Investigators will try to determine the cause of the crash some 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles.

Topics California Trucking