A freight train derailed in the US, sparking a massive fire and forcing thousands of people to leave their homes, US authorities have revealed.
There were no reports of deaths or injuries after the 50-car train left tracks near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border late Friday.
The train was carrying freight from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania, when it derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.
According to local media, several explosions were heard as the carriages continued to burn this Saturday.
The low temperatures made life difficult for firefighters as the water froze.
Authorities indicated that the convoy was carrying a chemical, vinyl chloride, and that firefighters should wear protective suits.
About 2,000 residents of eastern Palestine, about half the population, were evacuated from their homes.
Authorities asked anyone living within a mile of the blaze to leave their homes. And they issued an order for the rest of the population not to leave their homes, asking them not to approach the crash site.
Source: DN
