Police: Tornado Derails BNSF Railway Train in North Dakota

Dozens of train cars derailed in North Dakota on Wednesday night due to extreme winds blowing from a tornado, officials said.

A total of 43 empty coal cars were blown off the tracks near the town of Steele while the train was at a halt due to tornado warnings in the area, BNSF Railway spokesperson Kendall Sloan told ABC News. 

Though the National Weather Service reported three “potential” tornadoes to the outlet, only one tornado has been “confirmed” to have taken place near Steele so far:

While ABC reported that storm survey teams were still trying to determine if the derailment was caused by the tornado or “straight-line winds” on Thursday, the Steele Police Department stated that a “tornado did happen to derail a train”:

Police added that preliminary reports show that the strong winds damaged “some power poles.”

The Kidder County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to KX News the derailment caused no injuries, with Sergeant Paige Swanson adding that she was surprised and thankful that the train did not damage the nearby neighborhood. 

“I am very surprised because, on the other side of the road here, there’s houses and buildings, and it just missed them, and it just hit the tracks. So, thankfully, that’s all that happened,” she told the local station. 

Storm chaser Alex Resel captured a photo of one of the funnels near Fort Yates, southwest of Steele:

Just had a tornado southwest of Fort Yates, North Dakota! Has since lifted. #ndwx @NWSBismarck pic.twitter.com/kAGRx8QrCn

— Alex Resel 📸 (@aresel_) August 28, 2024