08 January 2025,   00:18
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Corvallis railroad bridge collapses under train, railcar crashes into river

A trestle bridge collapsed while a freight train was crossing on Saturday, sending a railcar carrying a chemical used for fertilizer into Marys River, according to the Portland & Western Railroad (PNWR), writes kptv.com.

The incident occurred around noon Saturday near Avery Park in Corvallis. A spokesperson for PNWR confirmed that the 19-car train was crossing the railroad bridge when it collapsed, but that there were no reported injuries.

As of Sunday afternoon, the railcar was still in the river, as crews worked to unload and remove the cars near the area where the bridge collapsed, according to the spokesman. Residents are asked to avoid the area.

The Corvallis Police Department also asked people to avoid entering Marys River until further notice, as urea - a chemical compound used as fertilizer - may have entered the water.

Emergency response teams are working to set up containment booms near the river to avoid any leaked materials.

An investigation is underway. According to some people who live nearby, this isn’t the first time the train bridge at Mary’s River has been damaged. A few years ago, the bridge caught fire, people said. Obviously we were like is that the one that caught on fire and surely was so”, - Crystal said. “The river track on that side of the river doesn’t go anywhere, so there is two locomotives stuck on the wrong side of the river, that doesn’t connect anywhere, so you can’t get the locomotives back without repairing the bridge”, - Joe added.

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