Cleanup is underway in northwestern Montana after a train derailment sent hundreds of cases of beer into the Clark Fork River on Sunday.
The 25-car train accident occurred near Quinn’s Hot Springs Resort in Sanders County, according to local news network Missoulian. No injuries or fires were reported in the crash, which spilled powdered clay and several box cars worth of Coors Light and Blue Moon cans and bottles along the river. Beer cases can be seen piled up in photos shared by local news outlets and Montana residents.
The derailment occurred around 9 a.m. and its cause is currently under investigation. One railcar contained the hazardous liquid butane, which authorities confirmed did not spill. It’s believed that seven train cars also derailed inside a nearby tunnel, according to the Associated Press.
Geographical features of the area — such as a single, blocked access point and river-related challenges — contribute to a difficult cleanup, as Montana Rail Link Director of Communications Andy Garland told Missoulian. It’s not yet clear how long the cleanup might take, but crews began utilizing a floating boom on the river to collect beer cans floating downstream on Sunday afternoon.
