Peter Sblendorio
New York Daily News
(TNS)
A train derailed late Wednesday in western Arizona but was not transporting hazardous materials as initially feared, a railroad operator said Thursday.
Officials say the train derailed along Interstate 40 in Topock, an unincorporated community near the border of California.
“BNSF Railway can confirm that a train carrying corn syrup derailed,” said a spokeswoman for the railroad company. “There were no injuries as a result of the derailment and preliminarily reports indicate there are no hazardous materials involved.”
No spills or leaks have been reported, according to the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, which initially said the train had hazardous materials on board.
Wednesday’s incident occurred less than two months after dozens of cars on a Norfolk Southern freight train, including some carrying hazardous materials, derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, causing a large fire.
Many people were forced to evacuate the community near the Pennsylvania border as officials burned vinyl chloride, a dangerous chemical, from five of the cars in order to prevent an explosion.
Rail employees working on the clean-up efforts reported feeling “migraines and nausea,” according to a union letter sent to local and federal authorities. More than 43,000 aquatic animals died after the derailment, Ohio’s Department of Natural Resources said last month.
Residents were critical of Norfolk Southern’s transparency during a town hall meeting in February.
“They’re not out here supporting, they’re not out here answering questions. For three days we didn’t even know what was on the train,” resident Kathy Dyke said at the time.
“I have three grandbabies. Are they going to grow up here in five years and have cancer?”
Norfolk Southern trains have since derailed in Alabama and Springfield, Ohio, this month.
With News Wire Services
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