A passenger train operated by Amtrak collided with an 18-wheeler truck at a railroad crossing in southeast Texas on Tuesday, causing power outages, road closures, and major traffic delays, local authorities said.
The collision occurred around 11 a.m. local time at the intersection of Highway 90 Alternate and Cravens Road in Missouri City, just outside of Houston, Missouri City Fire & Rescue Services (MCFRS)
shared in a Facebook statement.
The Amtrak train was traveling from Los Angeles to New Orleans with more than 100 people on board and did not derail in the crash, the agency added.
"Two minor medical incidents were reported with no traumatic injuries," MCFRS said. "Special thanks to all the responding agencies that assisted in mitigating this incident."
City officials
urged residents to avoid the area following the crash, noting that fire crews had already extinguished a fire that resulted from the collision and that a hazardous materials team was responding to fuel spills.
In a subsequent
update shared around 4:30 p.m. local time, officials said traffic delays and road closures were expected to continue through the day as crews worked to repair and replace damaged utility poles and power lines.
CenterPoint Energy
told KPRC 2 News that more than 500 customers had been impacted, leaving hundreds without power. However, by 7 p.m., city officials
reported that the area had been fully cleared by Missouri City Police and that traffic had returned to normal, with utility service fully restored and all damaged electrical equipment repaired.
Authorities told KPRC 2 that the 18-wheeler had been waiting at the stop sign on Cravens Road to turn right onto the highway, but that his trailer was too long and extended onto the tracks, leaving him unable to move out of the way in time. The truck driver was cited for stopping on the tracks and also received a warning for not securing his load properly, the news outlet reported.
Aerial
footage from Fox 26 Houston shows the semi truck upright in the highway, while its cargo container is flipped over and strewn beside the tracks. A portion of the train's front windshield appears to be smashed. Passengers can also be seen sitting and standing with their luggage along the roadway.
Metro buses were dispatched to the scene after the crash to transport the stranded passengers and crew members to the Amtrak station in Houston.
NTD reached out to Amtrak and the trucking company for comment, but responses were not received by publication time.
