An Amtrak train derailed in rural Missouri after hitting a dump truck at a highway-rail crossing. Four people died.

In 2021, 105 people died in incidents at highway-rail crossings like the one in Missouri. 

"It's a lot less than the number of people killed in traffic accidents, of course," University of Delaware Professor Allan Zarembski said. "But it's a significant number."

There are far fewer deaths compared to decades ago. But in recent years, the rate of incidents at highway-rail crossings has been increasing — up 32% in 10 years. That's according to records Newsy reviewed at the Federal Railroad Administration.

The agency is researching why mishaps are climbing, sharing these possible explanations: More rail and highway traffic, development along rail rights of way and individuals engaging in risky behavior.

"Unfortunately, a large number of these accidents are people trying to beat the train," Zarembski said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is looking at another possible factor in Missouri. The crossing did not have an active warning device seen at busier intersections, like a flashing sign or a gate that comes down. 

"There were no arms, there were no warning lights, there were no bells," NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said.

About half of the nation's crossings don't have that kind of active safety equipment. They're considered passive crossings, with signs or markings on the road.

The Federal Railroad Administration tells Newsy, "not every crossing needs an active warning device system ... ." 

But many are still dangerous. 

Newsy mapped three passive warning crossings with the most fatalities in the U.S.: Six deaths at a crossing in Cross County, Arkansas; five dead at an intersection in Las Animas County, Colorado; and five deaths at a rail crossing in Christian County, Illinois. 

"Why aren't all crossings protected? It's expensive," Zarembski said. "And don't forget, by the way, a lot of the crossings are in the middle of nowhere. So if I'm putting lights and gates, I need power."

The new infrastructure law includes $3 billion to improve rail crossings across the country. 

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CINCINNATI —

Video released Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board shows the intense flames firefighters faced when 38 rail cars went off a track in East Palestine, a village in northeast Ohio.

"There was incredibly hot, active fire for several hours," said hazardous materials expert Drew McCarty.

Four months after February's derailment, NTSB officials are conducting what they're calling a rare investigative field hearing.

Sworn witnesses are testifying before the public. They're describing how the derailment happened and critical takeaways from the incident.

"Lots of lessons learned," Keith Drabick said.

Drabick is the chief of East Palestine's mostly volunteer fire department. He remains concerned about conditions his fellow firefighters encountered in the wake of the train wreck — and a controlled burn that sent hazardous chemicals high into the sky.

"I'm concerned about not only my responders but everybody around for long-term health concerns," he said. "It's got to weigh in the back of your head for everybody."

To better prepare for another possible hazmat incident, Drabick said training opportunities need to be expanded.

"Standards need to change in the country. Standards need to change in our village," Drabick said.

In Cincinnati, training is a priority because the city is home to huge rail yards.

"There are a lot of people working behind the scenes, keeping our area prepared for any type of emergency that may occur," said Doug Witsken.

Witsken coordinates emergency planning for Hamilton County's Emergency Management Agency. He's among those eager to learn more from the hearing in East Palestine.

" I expect in coming years we will get a lot more detailed information about the incident, about how it was managed, lessons learned," Witsken said.

The focus of day one of the hearing in East Palestine was on the way first responders handled the derailment and how the decision to do a controlled burn was made.

The second day of the hearing on Friday will center around the Norfolk Southern rail cars that crashed and the hazardous materials they carried.

Two passenger trains derailed Friday in India, killing more than 200 people and trapping hundreds of others inside more than a dozen damaged rail cars, officials said.

Related video above: Concern over rail safety in U.S. after recent train accidents

The accident that happened about 137 miles southwest of Kolkata created a chaotic scene of twisted wreckage and desperate rescuers as teams tried to free passengers and recover bodies. The cause was under investigation.

About 900 people were injured in the accident, Odisha state’s top bureaucrat, P.K. Jena, said in a tweet.

Ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, and debris from some of the mangled coaches fell onto a nearby track, said Amitabh Sharma, a railroad ministry spokesperson.

The debris was hit by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction, and up to three coaches of the second train also derailed, Sharma said.

The Press Trust reported that a third train carrying freight was also involved, but there was no immediate confirmation from railroad authorities. The Press Trust report said some of the derailed passenger coaches hit cars from the freight train.

The death toll rose steadily throughout the night. As dawn approached, the top bureaucrat in the eastern state of Odisha announced that at least 207 were dead.

In the aftermath, television images showed rescuers climbing atop the wreckage to break open doors and windows and using cutting torches to free survivors.

Officials said 1,200 rescuers worked with 115 ambulances, 50 buses and 45 mobile health units through the night at the accident site.

Villagers said they rushed to the site to evacuate people after hearing a loud sound created by the train coaches going off the tracks.

“The local people really went out on a limb to help us. They not only helped in pulling out people, but retrieved our luggage and got us water,” PTI cited Rupam Banerjee, a survivor, as saying.

Passenger Vandana Kaleda told the New Delhi Television news channel that she “found people falling on each other” as her coach shook violently and veered off the tracks. She said she was lucky to survive.

Another survivor who did not give his name said he was sleeping when the impact woke him up. He said he saw other passengers with broken limbs and disfigured faces.

The Press Trust said the derailed Coromandel Express was traveling from Howrah in West Bengal state to Chennai, the capital of southern Tamil Nadu state.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his thoughts were with the bereaved families.

"May the injured recover soon,” tweeted Modi, who said he had spoken to the railway minister and that “all possible assistance” was being offered.

Despite government efforts to improve rail safety, several hundred accidents occur every year on India’s railways, the largest train network under one management in the world.

In August 1995, two trains collided near New Delhi, killing 358 people in the worst train accident in India’s history.

In 2016, a passenger train slid off the tracks between the cities of Indore and Patna, killing 146 people.

Most train accidents are blamed on human error or outdated signaling equipment.

More than 12 million people ride 14,000 trains across India every day, traveling on 40,000 miles of track.

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio —

A plume of chemicals that spilled into the Ohio River after a fiery train derailment has broken up and is no longer a concern, Ohio's governor said Friday. But worries remain near the disaster site among residents who have complained about lingering headaches and irritated eyes.

Despite repeated assurances that air and water testing has shown no signs of contaminants, some around East Palestine, along the Pennsylvania state line, are still skeptical and afraid to return to their homes.

Early next week, the state plans to open a medical clinic in the village to evaluate those who are worried and analyze their symptoms, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced. The clinic will include a team of experts in chemical exposures that is being deployed to eastern Ohio.

“These are very legitimate questions, and residents deserve an answer,” DeWine said while also emphasizing that testing inside and outside of homes in the village have no found no signs of toxins that were on the train.

“We're doing absolutely everything we can to assure residents to what the situation is,” he said. “I understand people have been traumatized. I understand skepticism.”

Nick Patrone, who lives four miles outside the village, said there is definitely an irritant in the air.

“You feel it,” he said. “A lot of my friends have children who have rashes that are unexplained all over their bodies. They have sore throats, they have congestion, they have ear irritation.”

Earlier this week, hundreds of people showed up at a public meeting to voice concerns and get answers from not only state and local leaders but also railroad operator Norfolk Southern. But representatives of the railroad were absent, saying they were worried about physical threats.

DeWine was upset by the no-show and said Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan Shaw needs to go to East Palestine and answer questions.

At least five lawsuits have been filed against the railroad, and lawyers have been showing up in the area to offer advice and legal options.

Two weeks have now passed since the freight train carrying a variety of hazardous chemicals derailed, but the stench of what spilled hasn't left. In the aftermath, residents have complained about finding their cars covered in soot, their homes filled with overpowering odors and their pets getting sick or dying.

The chemicals also spilled into nearby creeks, killing thousands of fish, and a smaller amount eventually made their way into the Ohio River.

While environmental officials said the contaminant amounts in the river were low enough that they did not pose a threat, cities in Ohio and West Virginia that get their drinking water from the river had been monitoring a slow-moving plume and a few temporarily switched to alternative water sources.

Water samples on Friday showed the plume is now completely gone, DeWine said.

The governor also said that air testing inside 500 homes hasn’t detected dangerous levels in the village since residents were allowed to return after the controlled release and burn of five tanker cars filled with vinyl chloride, which is associated with an increased risk of certain cancers.

DeWine said the derailment has been traumatic for the village of just under 5,000 people. But he said “no one is trying to downplay anything.”

Ohio Health Department Director Bruce Vanderhoff said the extensive testing of air and water that has been in place the past two weeks should be reassuring.

“We have been guided from the beginning by people who are national experts on what to test for,” he said.

___

Seewer reported from Toledo.

HARRISBURG, Pa. —

Norfolk Southern has pledged several million dollars to cover the cost of the response and recovery in Pennsylvania after last month's derailment of a train carrying toxic chemicals just across the border in Ohio, Gov. Josh Shapiro said Monday.

Video above: Toxic waste from East Palestine train derailment being shipped out

Shapiro's office said he met with Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw on Thursday and secured an initial commitment for financial aid as the cleanup from the Feb. 3 derailment continues.

Norfolk Southern has made similar pledges to Ohio, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has ordered the company to cover the costs of cleanup from the derailment that toppled 38 rail cars in East Palestine, Ohio.

No one was hurt, but concerns that the chemicals could explode led state and local officials to approve releasing and burning toxic vinyl chloride from five tanker cars and to evacuate half of East Palestine and the surrounding area near the Pennsylvania border. Shapiro said Norfolk Southern will pay $5 million to reimburse fire departments for equipment that was contaminated or damaged and $1 million to Beaver and Lawrence counties to help business owners and residents whose livelihoods were damaged.

Another nearly $1.4 million will go to state agencies that responded, including for setting up a health clinic for residents, Shapiro said.

Shapiro's office said he will push Norfolk Southern to cover any additional costs that accumulate.

Video below: Pennsylvania Senate committee to subpoena Norfolk Southern CEO

In Ohio, Norfolk Southern previously announced more than $1 million to replace fire equipment used in the response to the fiery wreck, plus $1 million for East Palestine and more than $1.2 million for evacuation costs for nearly 900 families and businesses.

The company has said it is "committed to coordinating the cleanup project and paying for its associated costs," and wants to ensure that East Palestine's residents and natural environment recover.

Federal and state officials have repeatedly said it's safe for evacuated residents to return to the area and that air testing in the town and inside hundreds of homes hasn't detected any concerning levels of contaminants. However, some residents say they're still suffering from illnesses nearly a month later.

Norfolk Southern also announced on Monday a six-point safety plan that it says will immediately enhance the safety of its operations.

Video below: Transportation Secretary Buttigieg makes visit to East Palestine train derailment site

JOPLIN, Mont. — Three people have died and numerous injuries have been reported after an Amtrak train derailed along Montana's Hi-Line in Liberty County on Saturday.

Several dead, numerous injuries reported in Amtrak train derailment along Hi-Line

It happened about three miles west of the town of Joplin.

CBS News and The Associated Press report that there are at least three confirmed fatalities, according to the Liberty County Sheriff's Office.

The train consisted of two locomotives and 10 cars, with seven of the cars derailing. There is no word yet on what caused the derailment

Amtrak confirmed the derailment near Joplin and released the following statement:

Pictures shared on social media show at least one car completely on its side and several other cars upright or tipped but off the tracks.

A witness described helping passengers exit the derailed cars. Jeremiah Johnson told KRTV that ladders were being used to free people and some had to be cut free.

"We had to lift a few people out with lots of volunteers and then cut some out. There was one lady in the back whose legs were trapped and was unable to be removed without using a saw (to cut away seats)," Johnson said.

Johnson described seeing shoulder, head, and neck injuries. He added that his wife assisted with helping passengers as they got off the train.

"Right now, she's helping out on-site and then was kind of checking people's vitals as they were coming. I brought her to the hospital. They had plenty of help up there so we went to the high school and she started helping get down people's injuries, names, and documenting any medication they may be taking."

MTN

Johnson estimated there were dozens of people at the high school.

Amtrak also included the following information in its news release:

The National Transportation Safety Board is sending 14 investigators to the site, according to CBS News.

The Amtrak passenger line that runs along the Montana Hi-Line is known as the Empire Builder. It runs between Chicago and Seattle/Portland.

This story was originally published by staff at KRTV.

CINCINNATI — A CSX train derailment in Queensgate on Jan. 24 will keep streets in the area closed until the weekend.

Evans St. and Dalton Ave will remain closed to give crews time to remove debris and inspect an overpass near Mill Creek that was damaged when the train went off its tracks.

Drivers should use alternate routes such as the Eighth Street viaduct.

Officials said approximately 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel leaked onto Gest Street before crews were able to contain the spill.

CSX said in a statement that the leak came from a locomotive derailed on the overpass, but no leaks or spills came from any of the train cars.

No crew members were hurt in the incident, the company said.