Two Canadian Pacific Railway trains lie derailed after they collided Wednesday alongside the Mississippi River near Dresbach, Minn.Two Canadian Pacific Railway trains lie derailed after they collided Wednesday alongside the Mississippi River near Dresbach, Minn. (Peter Thomson/La Crosse Tribune/Associated Press)

Two Canadian Pacific Railway freight trains collided early Wednesday, derailing 26 cars alongside the Mississippi River, authorities said. No serious injuries were reported.

Why the CPR trains collided is under investigation, said Mike LoVecchio, a spokesman for the rail company, which is based in Calgary.

The trains crashed about 5:30 a.m. CT near Dresbach in southeastern Minnesota. One railcar struck a 3,800-litre propane tank attached to a switching station, causing a small leak that was stopped by early afternoon, authorities said.

About 25 disabled war veterans at the nearby Mosher Veterans Home were evacuated for several hours as a precaution because of the leak but returned home by late afternoon, said Joyce Tlougan, deputy director of Winona County Emergency Management.

Engine in river

One train engine was partially submerged in the Mississippi River, Tlougan said.

The railroad dispatched hazardous material professionals to the scene as a precaution, LoVecchio said. No hazardous leaks were reported.

The two trains were operated by four workers. All four were "safe and accounted for," LoVecchio said, though two were taken to a hospital as a precaution.

The trains were both travelling west when they collided.

LoVecchio said the line includes a "siding where one train would pass another," but he did not know what role, if any, that may have played in the crash.

Amtrak service disrupted

The derailment disrupted Amtrak service to hundreds of passengers, said Bob Kamrowski, station manager in La Crosse, Wis.

Amtrak makes two trips per day on the route blocked by the derailment.

People planning to board Amtrak trains Wednesday in several Minnesota and Wisconsin cities were being bused to either Chicago or Minneapolis, he said.

"They are telling me one day [of disruption]," Kamrowski said. "I have no idea if that is going to be the truth or not."

Corrections and Clarifications

  • Forty cars did not derail in a train collision in southeastern Minnesota, as originally reported by the Associated Press. In fact, the number of derailed cars was 26, according to Canadian Pacific Railway. In addition, railcars did not plunge into the Mississippi River, as AP originally stated, and no hazardous substances leaked into the environment. AP also stated the trains were travelling in opposite directions at the time of the collision, but CPR says the two were travelling in the same direction. Dec. 15, 2008 | 5:45 p.m. ET