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Homes are evacuated in Pennsylvania town after Norfolk Southern freight train with up to 20 hazardous cars derails
- A Norfolk Southern train derailed in southeastern Pennsylvania Monday morning
- The 40-car train derailed near Stenton Avenue and Joshua Road just before 5am
- Homes were vacated for precautionary reasons. Hazmat crews are on the scene
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A Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed in southeastern Pennsylvania Monday morning, causing road closures and a mass evacuation.
The 40-car freight train derailed near Stenton Avenue and Joshua Road in Whitemarsh Township just before 5am, sending roughly half of its cars of the tracks.
An unspecified number of residents in the suburb 15 miles from Philly have since been evacuated, as well as several businesses closest to the derailment site.
Sources told local stations these precautions – as well as a Level 2 hazmat response – stemmed from the fact that 15 to 20 cars were believed to be carrying hazardous materials.
In a statement some three hours after the crash, police in the town of roughly 18,000 said the only material leaking out of the train at the moment was silicone pellets, which pose no threat to the public. There’s no word on what caused the derailment.
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The 40-car freight train derailed near Stenton Avenue and Joshua Road in Whitemarsh Township just before 5 am, sending roughly half of its cars of the tracks. Residents have since been evacuated as a precaution
Sources told local stations these precautions – as well as a Level 2 hazmat response – stemmed from the fact that 15 to 20 cars were believed to be carrying hazardous materials. Containers the train had been carrying – one of which reportedly was leaking – are seen here
‘Whitemarsh Emergency Services is investigating the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in the Plymouth Meeting section of Whitemarsh Township,’ Whitemarsh Township police said in a Facebook post around 7am.
The 28-person police force added: ‘Precautionary evacuations have occurred at the residents and businesses closest to the scene. It is not believed that further evacuations will be needed, but we will evaluate as we know more.’
Shocking photos and footage, meanwhile, show some of the damage wrought by the disaster – with several cars and tankers seen toppled in a wooded area bounded by Flourtown Road, Joshua Road and Stenton Avenue.
Several containers on the ground and several tankers appeared to smash against each other.
Shocking photos and footage, meanwhile, show some of the damage wrought by the disaster
Several cars and tankers seen toppled in a wooded area in the 18,000-person suburb, which is not far from Philadelphia
