PHOTOS: Clean up underway after head-on freight train collision in US
Both trains were carrying quantities of chemicals on board. (AP) AP
More than 500 Arkansas residents were evacuated from their homes when a mix of alcohol and diesel fuel ignited during a two freight train collision that killed two people.
The trains collided in Hoxie, a town of approximately 3000 people in northeastern Arkansas, about 3am, Sunday.
Two train crew members were killed and another pair were injured during the crash, according to a police statement.
Following the collision, a fire erupted from a tank car that was carrying a large quantity of alcoholic beverages, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board said.
Both trains were carrying toxic chemical and emergency services established a 2.5km exclusion zone and evacuated about 500 residents from the area after initial, incorrect, reports that the fire had been sparked by the chemicals. Residents were able to return to their homes later on Sunday, according to NTSB.
NTSB investigators arrived on the scene at noon, promising to "look at every aspect" of the accident in their probe.
"We'll be looking at signalling information, breaking, track information, train operations and how the crew operated the trains," NTSB spokesman Terry Williams told AFP.
He added that investigators will remain on the scene for around a week.
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