Georgia town evacuated after mass derailment of multiple railroad cars
Some 30 carriages containing pressurised propane crashed off bridge and into highway below - but no injuries reported
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
An entire town in Georgia, in the US, has been evacuated after a mass derailment of multiple railroad cars.
Byromville – population 500 – was cleared when up to 30 carriages containing pressurised propane crashed from a nearby bridge.
CSX Railroad, which was running the 141-car train, said “several” carriages plummeted onto Georgia Highway 90 at 7am local time Saturday, resulting in the mile-wide evacuation.
Brett Walls, the town’s fire chief, told the WMAZ-TV channel that “practically the whole town” had been required to leave – but there were no reports of injuries.
Resident Stephanie Chapman said the smash was audible more than a mile away.
“You could hear the rail cars hitting each other – boom-boom-boom-boom-boom," she told the Associated Press news agency.
A CSX statement released late Saturday said: "Crews are working to re-rail the cars without damage and remove the derailed railcars with damage from the area as quickly and safely as possible."
The evacuation line was reduced to within 300 metres of the crash site by midday.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments