Cargo train hits parked trains in Florida

A cargo train slammed into several parked railroad cars in Belle Glade, Florida, Monday

BELLE GLADE, Florida (CNN) -- The FBI is investigating an accident in which a cargo train carrying sugar cane and potash slammed into at least two parked cargo trains in Belle Glade, Florida, on Monday morning.

The FBI was on the scene, said Paul Miller, a spokesman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, because a switch which must be set manually was in the wrong position and diverted the northbound train onto a side rail, where it ran into the parked cars.

Donald Hamilton, fire marshal for the Belle Glade Fire Department, said the collision was being treated as a crime scene, which he described as "routine" in such incidents.

The crash started a fire and injured two workers. Authorities said the fire was extinguished later in the morning and the injuries were described as minor.

An emergency room doctor at Glade General Hospital said the two injured men, a conductor and an engineer, were expected to be released from the hospital Monday afternoon.

"Right now, the situation's under control, but it's quite a mess," said Lt. Matthew Sweet of the Belle Glade Police Department.

A conductor and an engineer suffered minor injuries in the train wreck

Sweet said six cars and three locomotives derailed in the accident, which occurred shortly after 10 a.m. Authorities initially ordered an evacuation of residents from the area but reversed that order after learning no hazardous materials were aboard the trains.

Potash is a potassium compound used to make fertilizer.

Sweet said it appeared that the northbound cargo train was "misguided" onto the wrong track.

The trains involved in the accident belong to South Central Florida Express railroad, authorities said.

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Belle Glade Florida Resource Guide, City of Belle Glade, Florida Facts and Information
Federal Bureau of Investigation

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