A thrilling scene before Thanksgiving!Sudden train derailment and leakage of dangerous chemicals in Kentucky, USA-Mobile Financial World

A thrilling scene before Thanksgiving!Hazardous chemicals leak after train derailment in Kentucky, USA

Financial Associated Press Xiaoxiang

2023-11-24 08:47:28

Financial Associated Press News on November 23 (Editor Xiaoxiang) Since the beginning of this year, train derailments have occurred continuously across the United States, making railway safety continue to become the focus of attention of the American people. On the day before Thanksgiving, a traditional North American holiday, another sudden train derailment occurred in Kentucky, casting a shadow over the festive atmosphere.

According to the American CSX transportation company, on the 22nd local time, a train derailed near Livingston, Rockcastle County, a remote area in eastern Kentucky, causing a sulfur leak. The incident disrupted local residents’ holiday plans on Thursday, and some residents were forced to evacuate after the accident.

The derailment occurred north of Livingston, a town of about 200 people, and involved 16 cars, two of which were carrying molten sulfur and caused a fire after the accident.

Railway operator CSX said in a latest statement that the fire caused by the leaked sulfur has been extinguished.

When molten sulfur burns, it releases sulfur dioxide, which can cause severe irritation to the respiratory tract, eyes, mucous membranes and skin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Short-term exposure to sulfur dioxide can damage the human respiratory system and cause breathing difficulties, especially in children and people with asthma.

CSX said it had deployed “professional equipment” to monitor air in the area. The cause of the derailment is under investigation.

The company said local authorities have determined it is safe for residents to return to their homes, and CSX will provide shelter and food, including Thanksgiving dinner, to evacuated families. Its crews will now focus on recovering items on the ground and removing the derailed carriages.

Kentucky Governor Beshear declared a state of emergency in Rockcastle County on the 22nd to help the local area obtain more resources. Local officials had earlier evacuated some residents door-to-door, and they were moved to a school for safety.

U.S. Route 25 in the area has been blocked in both directions due to the train derailment.

Livingston resident Linda Todd was preparing Thanksgiving dinner when she received the evacuation notice. “I was freaking out, and I said (to the evacuees), ‘We’re cooking, there’s a turkey in the oven. We can’t leave,’ and they said, ‘You have to go, it’s bad, you have to Walk’.”

Another local resident, Evelyn Gray, said the leaked chemicals caused her asthma attack. “It hit me so hard, I could barely breathe,” she said.

In addition to the car carrying molten sulfur, two other cars carrying magnesium hydroxide were also involved in the derailment, but there was no sign that the two cars were damaged, CSX said. There are no dangerous goods in the remaining carriages. The derailment caused no casualties.

In fact, train derailments have become a common occurrence in the United States in recent years. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, there were at least 1,164 train derailments in the United States in 2022, which means an average of about three per day last year.

The “poison train” derailment in Ohio, USA, in February this year shocked the world. On February 3, a freight train derailed in Ohio, causing the hazardous chemical vinyl chloride contained in its carriage to leak. Local residents were evacuated. The explosion and burning of hazardous materials caused huge black clouds to appear in the local sky.