Illinois Sues After Railway Derailment

Illinois officials are suing an Iowa railroad after a train derailed into the Spoon River last month, spilling about 17,000 gallons of corn syrup.

The (Canton) Daily Ledger reports Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed the litigation in Fulton County to try to force Keokuk Junction Railway to clean up after the spill.

She also wants the Iowa-based company to submit an emergency response plan.

The train derailed west-central Illinois in mid-September when a bridge collapsed, sending six cars into the water at Seville. Hundreds of fish — mostly Asian carp — died several miles downstream.

In a statement, railway officials say they're cooperating with the investigation and say Illinois officials were trying to get rid of the invasive fish anyway.

They say cleanup work is almost done.