Homes evacuated in Pennsylvania town after Norfolk Southern freight train derails with up to 20 dangerous cars
A Norfolk Southern train derailed in southeastern Pennsylvania early Monday morning. The 40-car train derailed near Stanton Avenue and Joshua Road just before 5 a.m. Homes were evacuated as a precaution. Hazmat personnel are on scene
A Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed in southeastern Pennsylvania early Monday morning, causing road closures and public evacuations.
The 40-car freight train derailed near Stanton Avenue and Joshua Road in Whitemarsh Township just before 5 a.m., with about half of the cars on the tracks.
An unspecified number of residents in the suburb 15 miles from Philly were evacuated, along with several businesses closest to the derailment site.
Sources told local stations the alerts — as well as a Level 2 hazmat response — stemmed from the fact that 15 to 20 vehicles were believed to be carrying hazardous materials.
In a statement about three hours after the accident, police in the city of about 18,000 said the only material coming off the train at the moment was silicon pellets, which posed no threat to the public. No word on what caused the derailment.
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The 40-car freight train derailed near Stanton Avenue and Joshua Road in Whitemarsh Township just before 5 a.m., with about half of the cars on the tracks. Residents have been evacuated as a precaution
Sources told local stations the alerts — as well as a Level 2 hazmat response — stemmed from the fact that 15 to 20 vehicles were believed to be carrying hazardous materials. The containers the train was carrying – one of which leaked – are seen here
“Whitemarsh Emergency Services is investigating a Norfolk Southern train derailment in the Plymouth Meeting section of Whitemarsh Township,” Whitemarsh Township police said in a Facebook post around 7 a.m.
The 28-man police force added: ‘Residents and businesses near the incident have been evacuated as a precaution. It is not believed that further evacuations will be required, but we will assess as we learn more.’
Poignant photos and footage, meanwhile, show some of the damage caused by the disaster – several cars and tankers were seen overturned in a wooded area bounded by Flourtown Road, Joshua Road and Stanton Avenue.
Several containers carrying an unspecified substance were seen on the ground, one of which appeared to be leaking. Shows other aerial receivers that have apparently been smashed together, and parts of twisted tracks.
Shocking pictures and footage, meanwhile, show some of the damage caused by the disaster
Several cars and tankers were seen wrecked in a wooded area in the suburb of 18,000 people not far from Philadelphia.
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