Two Transients Killed as Train Derails

Two transients were killed and a third was seriously hurt Thursday when 17 cars on a Southern Pacific freight train derailed in the desert south of Indio, authorities said.

The cars jumped the tracks about 10:45 a.m. in a remote desert area on the northern shore of the Salton Sea, said railroad spokesman Jack Martin. The cause of the derailment was not immediately known, but Martin said flooding from winter storms had recently undermined tracks. The tracks run alongside California 111, which was closed for 3 1/2 hours as a precaution, said California Highway Patrol Officer Craig Rentle.

The victims were not identified. The train crew was unhurt.

The 102-car train from Avondale, La., was en route to a Southern Pacific yard in City of Industry. There was some initial fear of a hazardous chemical spill from two derailed tank cars, but Martin said the cars were empty, upright and stable.