Incredible Images of Train Derailment in Lynchburg, Virginia

By Colleen Curry April 30, 2014

A freight train carrying crude oil derailed in Lynchburg, Va., this afternoon, erupting into flames and sending plumes of thick black smoke into the air.

Some of the flames reached about 80 feet high and could be seen throughout Lynchburg, witnesses told ABC affiliate WSET.

There have been no injuries reported in the accident.

The train went off the rails in Lynchburg's downtown around 1:45 p.m., according to WSET.

A witness told that station that he saw the dirt and stone beneath the train give way, leading to the derailment. The train had 12 to 14 tankers carrying crude oil.

The aftermath of a train derailment in Lynchburg, Va., April 30, 2014. (Michael Cover)

The aftermath of a train derailment in Lynchburg, Va., April 30, 2014. (WSET)

The aftermath of a train derailment in Lynchburg, Va., April 30, 2014. (WSET)

People in the nearby area have been evacuated. Authorities do not yet know the cause of the derailment.