2 killed, 3 injured when freight train derails in small West Texas city after collision

Two Union Pacific employees were killed and three people were injured when a freight train collided with a tractor-trailer and derailed in a small West Texas city, authorities said Thursday.

The train derailed around 5 p.m. Wednesday in Pecos after the collision at a railway crossing, authorities said. Union Pacific, based in Omaha, Nebraska, said Thursday that two employees had been killed. Pecos Police Chief Lisa Tarango said the other injuries were minor.

The hazardous materials that were being carried on the train included lithium ion batteries and air bags, but none were released in the derailment, city officials said.

Leaked diesel fuel was contained, officials said.

Ronald Lee, emergency services chief for Reeves County, said that some of those injured were in the Chamber of Commerce building, which was damaged in the derailment. He said damage to the building was ''significant enough'' that officials have advised that no one enter until an engineer can inspect it.

Railroad safety has been in the spotlight ever since a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, in early 2023, spilling a cocktail of toxic chemicals and catching fire. Regulators urged the industry to improve safety and members of Congress proposed a package of reforms, but railroads haven't made many major changes to their operations and the bill has stalled.

Eddie Hall, national president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union that represents engineers, said in a statement that the derailment is ''a reminder that much more needs to be done to make railroading safer.''

The derailment, he said, ''should serve as a wake-up call to legislators to improve rail safety."

Images from the site of the crash in Pecos show that the train was hauling metal shipping containers that were stacked two high.

Pecos, which has a population of about 13,000, is located about 200 miles (321 kilometers) east of El Paso.

Tarango said the clean-up was underway. The National Transportation Safety Board sent a team to investigate.