Train Hits Propane Tank, Which Explodes in Iowa

STORM LAKE, Iowa (AP) -- A train rolled over a stolen 40-pound propane tank, but the eastbound train and tracks were not damaged when the tank exploded, police said.

Storm Lake Police Chief Mark Prosser said the train had hit the tank farther up the tracks early Thursday and pushed the container forward until it hit a railroad crossing in Storm Lake and exploded.

``They clearly ... heard a loud noise,'' Prosser said. However, ``there did not appear to be a fire,'' he said.

There were no injuries.

A police investigation determined that someone broke into a Buena Vista County-owned storage bin, took the propane tank and placed it on the railroad track, Prosser said. The storage bin is located north of where the train hit the tank.