Between 20 and 30 cars have gone off the tracks, officials say
A Norfolk Southern cargo train derailed near Springfield, Ohio in the US on Saturday. The incident comes a month after another train operated by the same company came off the tracks in East Palestine, Ohio, causing a major toxic spill.
This time there were no hazardous materials on the train, Norfolk Southern noted in a statement. “Our teams are en route to the site to begin cleanup operations,” the company said. There were no deaths or injuries as a result of the incident, it added.
Residents within 300 meters (1,000 feet) of the crash site have been told to shelter in place “out of an abundance of caution,” the local emergency management agency said.
Between 20 and 30 cars out of 212 on the train derailed at around 5 pm by State Route 41, the Springfield News-Sun reported, citing on-site emergency officials.
Electricity was reportedly out in parts of Springfield as power lines were damaged in the crash.
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Springfield is a town of around 60,000, located in Clark County some 74km (46 miles) west of Ohio’s state capital, Columbus.