Homes were being evacuated early Monday after a train carrying hazardous materials derailed outside Philadelphia.
A 40-car CSX Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, just before 5 a.m. Monday, prompting emergency crews to respond to a suburban area of Whitemarsh Township.
Between 15 and 20 of the derailed cars were carrying hazardous materials, prompting a Level 2 hazmat response, Fox 29 reported.
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.
Video below:
A 40-car CSX Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Houses and businesses are being evacuated. pic.twitter.com/SBHpXNDY3H
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) July 17, 2023
‘Whitemarsh Emergency Services is investigating the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in the Plymouth Meeting section of Whitemarsh Township,’ the local police department 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 carrying unspecified substances were seen on the ground, with one appearing to be leaking. Other aerials showed takers that had been apparently smashed together, and parts of twisted track.
There are no known injuries at this time, but officials from Norfolk Southern – who owns the track where the incident occurred – CSX, and the Montgomery County Department of Public Safety’s Emergency Response Team were all on the scene.