Earlier this year a freight train derailed near Paradise, spilling thousands of beers into the Clark Fork River. For some it was comical, for others it was a close call. 

And now three months later another train derailment. This time, on the other side of the state, into the Yellowstone River. But this wasn’t a close call and not comical by any standards.

Early Saturday morning about 5 miles east of Reed Point, tanker cars from a Montana Rail Link train plunged into the river along with twisted railroad tracks, steel beams and concrete from the trestle. The tankers were each carrying hazardous materials in varying level of toxicity.

With me today is Chirs Jorgensen, managing editor of the Billings Gazette newspaper, who was first to report the situation.

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