3 people injured in tanker explosion

Published 4:58 pm Monday, July 27, 2009

A tanker truck and a Canadian National Railway locomotive collided Sunday in Rankin County causing an explosion that left three people injured, including one in critical condition.

The collision happened about 11:30 a.m at a crossing near Mississippi Highway 49.

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Katherine Gunby said the crash caused the truck, which had just been filled with carbon dioxide, to explode. The explosion launched the truck a half mile east of the tracks.

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Gunby said the driver of the truck was critically injured and airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson. Two crew members on board the locomotive were taken to UMC by ambulance. Their injuries weren’t considered life threatening.