LANCASTER, Minn. (FOX 9) - State crews are responding to a derailment of a train carrying hazardous materials Wednesday night in far northwestern Minnesota, just south of the Canadian border.Canadian Pacific reports they responded around 4:30 p.m.
for a reported derailment just south of Lancaster, Minnesota in an unpopulated area. Lancaster is about ten miles south of the Canadian border and 16 miles east of the North Dakota border.
Highway 59 is closed for the cleanup, which the Minnesota Department of Transportation says could take two to three days.Photos shared by the Lancaster, Minnesota Fire Department show the derailment just south of the Canadian border. (Lancaster Fire Department)The crash happened four miles south of Lancaster.
So far, officials say 24 freight train cars have derailed, with some carrying hazardous materials. Firefighters identified the materials as "liquid NOS" which stands for "not otherwise specified."In an update on Thursday, Canadian Pacific said five cars contained asphalt, six contained naphtha, and two cars had decene.