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2/8/2023
Norfolk Southern Railway yesterday began clearing derailed cars from the site of a derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
As of yesterday afternoon, several cars had been cleared from the wreckage, NS officials said on the Class I’s website. The National Transportation Safety Board will inspect the cars at a nearby staging area, and once cleared, they will be removed from the site, NS officials added.
The Class I is monitoring air, water and soil quality at the derailment site and within the evacuation zone in coordination with state and federal agencies, NS officials said.
Fifty cars of the 141-car train derailed Feb. 3, prompting a massive fire. Ten of the derailed cars carried hazardous materials; five carried vinyl chloride, which can be deadly if inhaled.
On Monday, NS successfully completed a controlled release of the vinyl chloride from the rail cars. Those cars were unstable and could explode, sending deadly shrapnel and toxic fumes into the air.
In a media briefing, the NTSB said it appeared the derailment was caused by a mechanical issue involving one of the rail car axles.