PECOS, Texas – UPDATE FRIDAY, 6:11 A.M.:
The Reeves County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a second fatality in a train derailment in the town of Pecos in West Texas.
The Associated Press said the two dead were Union Pacific employees.
ORIGINAL:
Officials in Pecos, Texas, are picking up the pieces after a train derailed, crashed into a building, killed one person and injured four others on Wednesday.
Pecos is located in Reeves County, approximately 75 miles southwest of Odessa. According to the county’s Facebook page, the train struck the City of Pecos’ Chamber of Commerce building.
PUBLIC NOTICE
Train Derailment Incident
A major accident has occurred involving a train derailment that has struck the Chamber of Commerce. Authorities are currently on the scene, gathering details and assessing the situation.
At this time, we ask the public to avoid the area for safety reasons. Media outlets are to stage at the Reeves County Courthouse located at 100 E 4th St, Town of Pecos City -, Texas.
Traffic Updates:
• Southbound Traffic on Highway 285 is being diverted to F Street and County Road 1216.
• Northbound Traffic on Highway 285 will experience closures on 3rd and 4th Streets.
We currently have no reports of injuries or casualties.
Additional information will be provided as it becomes available. Please stay tuned for further updates and follow any guidance from local authorities.Posted byon Wednesday, December 18, 2024
City officials said the train derailed after it collided with a tractor-trailer around 5 p.m. near the intersection of Oak Street and Dot Stafford Street.
During a Wednesday evening news conference, county officials said one of the four others injured suffered serious injuries and was transported to an Odessa hospital for further treatment.
The three others were treated for their injuries at a Pecos hospital.
Officials said three train cars that carried potentially hazardous materials ran off the track, but none of those cars leaked any of those materials. The only leak was diesel from an engine but that has since been contained.
TRAIN DERAILMENT UPDATE
Posted byon Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Currently, there is no additional public safety threat in the aftermath of the train derailment, the county said.