Houses evacuated in Pennsylvania after Norfolk Southern freight train derailment
Houses evacuated in Pennsylvania town after Norfolk Southern freight train derails with up to 20 dangerous cars
- A train from Norfolk Southern derailed in southeastern Pennsylvania Monday morning
- The 40-car train derailed just before 5 a.m. near Stenton Avenue and Joshua Road
- Homes were evacuated as a precaution. Hazmat crews are on site
A Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed Monday morning in southeastern Pennsylvania, prompting road closures and a mass evacuation.
The 40-car freight train derailed just before 5 a.m. near Stenton Avenue and Joshua Road in Whitemarsh Township, causing about half of the cars to go off the tracks.
An undetermined number of residents in the suburb 15 miles from Philly have since been evacuated, as have several businesses closest to the derailment site.
Sources told local stations that these precautions – as well as a Level 2 Hazmat response – came from the fact that 15 to 20 cars were believed to be carrying hazardous materials.
In a statement about three hours after the crash, police in the city of about 18,000 said the only material leaking from the train at this time was silicone granules, which pose no threat to the public. There is no word on the cause of the derailment.
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The 40-car freight train derailed near Stenton Avenue and Joshua Road in Whitemarsh Township just before 5 a.m., knocking about half of the cars off the tracks. Residents have since been evacuated as a precaution
Sources told local stations that these precautions – as well as a Level 2 Hazmat response – came from the fact that 15 to 20 cars were believed to be carrying hazardous materials. The containers the train was carrying – one of which reportedly leaked – can be seen here
“Whitemarsh Emergency Services are investigating the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in the Plymouth Meeting section of Whitemarsh Township,” the Whitemarsh Township Police Department said in a Facebook post at around 7 a.m.
The 28-strong police force added: “Precautionary evacuations have taken place among the residents and businesses closest to the crime scene. It is not believed that further evacuations will be necessary, but we will evaluate as soon as we know more.”
Shocking photos and footage, meanwhile, show some of the damage done by the disaster – with several cars and tankers overturned in a wooded area bounded by Flourtown Road, Joshua Road and Stenton Avenue.
Several containers on the ground and several tankers seemed to collide.
Shocking photos and images meanwhile show some of the damage caused by the disaster
Several cars and tankers overturned in a wooded area in the suburb of 18,000 not far from Philadelphia