BONNERS FERRY, Idaho (AP) — Crews have started containment measures after a train derailed and its lead engine began leaking diesel fuel into a northern Idaho river.
Crews have placed containment booms in multiple places across the Kootenai River, officials confirmed.
Three locomotives and six rail cars derailed Wednesday in a remote area 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of Bonners Ferry on the main line, Boundary County sheriff deputies said.
Two workers were rescued from inside the train, authorities said. No one was injured.
The train was carrying mixed freight, officials said. It is not known is there is anything else in the river.
Boundary County Emergency Management, BNSF Railway Company, Idaho State Police, Boundary County Sheriff, EMS and Fire responded to the scene, authorities said.
The cause of the derailment is under investigation but it appears there was a rockslide in the area, BNSF Railway Company spokesman Gus Melonas said. The only access to the area is by train or boat, he said.
Forty trains use the track daily including company freights and Amtrak passenger trains traveling between Seattle and Chicago, Melonas said.
