180-car unmanned runaway train derails in ghost town

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A Union Pacific freight train carrying iron ore derailed near the small town of Kelso in California with its crew apparently jumping off after it ran out of control.

It derailed near the small ghost town of Kelso in California this afternoon, Monday, March 28. It was pulling 180 cars when its crew realized the train was out of control at a speed approaching 80mph and apparently jumped off. At the time of the incident, it was travelling across the Mojave Desert, headed towards the city of Barstow in San Bernardino County.

Union Pacific reported that the southbound train crashed around 8:30 a.m. Pacific time, with 55 cars and two locomotives derailing. A spokesperson for Union Pacific confirmed no train crew members were in control of the train when it derailed. There was a minor fuel leak from one locomotive which was addressed by HazMat personnel. There was no current threat to the public or the environment according to an on-site assessment.