- 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
A freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in southeastern Pennsylvania Monday morning, causing road closures and a mass evacuation.
The 40-car CSX train derailed near Stenton Avenue and Joshua Road in the town of Plymouth Meeting 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 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.
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.
