Bena Train Derailment Cleanup Continues

Officials are still working to clean up the aftermath of a train derailment in the Bena area.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe tells Lakeland News that crews are picking up coal that spilled from rail cars in the incident, which occurred shortly after 2 p.m. on July 22.

Three of the train’s 10 derailed cars actually lost coal, while the other seven went off the tracks upright. There is no specific estimate as to how much came out of the cars, but each of them carries about 120 tons of the material.

Additional crews were sent to work on the site after they began cleaning things up over the weekend.

Once the coal has been picked up, it will be taken to a landfill.