Train Crashes And Derails, Injuring 2 In South Carolina: Officials

COLUMBIA, SC — Two people were injured when a train crashed and came off the tracks in Columbia Monday morning, according to the Columbia-Richland Fire Department.

The train crash occurred around 8:20 a.m. in a rural area near Longwood Drive and Shop Road. Two railway employees were given medical treatment on site and taken to area hospitals, authorities said.

A fuel spill occurred during the crash but has been contained, according to authorities.

Officials did not have an update on the employees' conditions, but no one else was injured in the crash, Columbia-Richland Fire Department spokesperson Michael DeSumma Jr. told Patch.

The train, which had three locomotives and three cars and was run by Norfolk Southern, was headed from Atlanta to Charleston and derailed when it struck another locomotive that had derailed next to Norfolk Southern's main line, a company spokesperson told Patch.

Norfolk Southern is investigating the cause of the crash and will submit a report to the Federal Railroad Administration. Norfolk Southern crews and contractors are cleaning and repairing the area of the crash, the spokesperson said.

"Norfolk Southern is grateful to the first responders in Columbia for their quick response and taking care of our crew who remain at a local hospital," the company said in a statement to Patch. "We have responded to the scene with additional personnel and partners to begin the clean-up and repairs to reopen the track, and appreciate the public's patience during this process."