Regulator: 18 of 20 oil cars pierced in North Dakota crash
Source: Reuters
Regulator: 18 of 20 oil cars pierced in North Dakota crash
BY BRENDAN O'BRIEN
Mon Jan 13, 2014 6:28pm EST
(Reuters) - Eighteen of 20 tanker cars carrying oil that derailed in the fiery crash of two trains in North Dakota in late December were punctured, spilling more than 400,000 gallons of crude oil, safety regulators reported on Monday.
In a preliminary report, the National Transportation Safety Board said the oil train heading east struck a derailed car from a westbound grain train, leading to the derailment and fire about a mile outside the small town of Casselton, North Dakota, on December 30.
Both trains were operated by BNSF Railway Co, more than 100 cars long each and were traveling well below the posted 65-mile-per-hour speed limit, the NTSB report said. BNSF is owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
The grain train was traveling at 28 mph (45 km per hour) and the oil train at 43 mph when emergency braking systems were applied on both trains, the report said.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/13/us-northdakota-derailment-idUSBREA0C1LN20140113