Minot railway accident

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The Minot rail accident was the derailment of a freight train near Minot , North Dakota , on January 18, 2002, in which large quantities of toxic ammonia were released. One resident died, 11 people were seriously injured and 322 were slightly injured. The effects of the accident were exacerbated by an extensive failure of the business continuity management.

Starting position

The Canadian Pacific Railway network extends far into the north of the USA . The accident occurred on their railway line leading through the town of Minot .

The train 292-16 of the Canadian Pacific Railway traveled this railway line in the night of 17 to 18 January 2002 in an easterly direction with about 65 km / h. It consisted of 112 freight wagons and, among other things, carried tank wagons loaded with ammonia . The temperatures were well below freezing .

the accident

Just one kilometer off the western outskirts of Minot derailed against 1:37 31 freight cars of the train in a crossover in which a rail break had occurred. Five tank wagons that had loaded liquefied ammonia gas under pressure and then released considerable quantities of this - liquid and gaseous - were also damaged. 1,100 cubic meters of the caustic and toxic gas leaked into the atmosphere. Train drivers and train conductors were injured and rushed to a hospital.

consequences

One resident died, 11 people were seriously injured, 322 were slightly injured, and around 1,000 received medical treatment. The counter and rescue measures were initially characterized by chaos. The engine driver immediately called the local emergency center. The city alarm system was - although the investigation showed it was fully functional - switched off. Other warning systems were disabled or failed, such as the sirens . The emergency number collapsed because of the large number of incoming calls and could not be reactivated, as none of the staff present had the authorization to intervene in the largely automated system.

All six local radio stations were owned by the sole provider Clear Channel Communications . As usual at this early hour of the morning, they were operated automatically without staff. So there was nobody on site who could have issued a warning so that the general public could not be reached. This was later cited as evidence of the danger and effects of media concentration.

It took several hours before the disaster alarm could even be triggered. The area around the accident site had to be evacuated over a large area. About 11,600 people were affected. Residents in the rest of the city of Minot were told not to leave the buildings and to put wet towels over their faces to ward off the ammonia.

On the morning of January 18, the ammonia cloud had spread over large parts of the city, but it also became thinner. About 24 hours after the accident, the ammonia had evaporated enough that helpers could get to the scene of the accident and start cleaning up. As a result of the remedial measures, ice on the Souris River , which was contaminated with ammonia , had to be removed.

The property damage amounted to more than $ 10 million. As a result of the accident, the city of Minot restricted the speed of trains in its urban area.

See also

literature

US National Transportation Safety Board (ed.): Railroad Accident Report: Derailment of Canadian Pacific Railway Freight Train 292-16 and Subsequent Release of Anhydrous Ammonia Near Minot, North Dakota . Washington, DC March 9, 2004 ( full text [PDF; 1.5 MB ]).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ US National Transportation Safety Board: Railroad Accident Report .
  2. ^ US National Transportation Safety Board: Railroad Accident Report .
  3. ↑ NN: Minot train derailment; NN: Exclusive.
  4. ^ NN: Exclusive .
  5. ^ US National Transportation Safety Board: Railroad Accident Report ; NN: Exclusive .
  6. ^ US National Transportation Safety Board: Railroad Accident Report .
  7. ^ NN: Exclusive .
  8. ^ NN: Exclusive .
  9. ^ NN: Commentary .
  10. ^ NN: Exclusive .
  11. ↑ Eric Klinenberg: Fighting for Air: The Battle to Control America's Media. New York 2008.
  12. ^ US National Transportation Safety Board: Railroad Accident Report .
  13. ↑ NN: Minot train derailment ; NN: Exclusive .
  14. ↑ NN: Minot train derailment .
  15. ^ US National Transportation Safety Board: Railroad Accident Report .

Coordinates: 48 ° 13'56.4 "  N , 101 ° 21'9"  W.