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
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
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.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments