A Florida train hauling propane and sheetrock derailed close to the border between Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Robert Bounds, the chief of Southern Manatee Fire Rescue, reported on Tuesday afternoon that six Seminole Gulf train cars had come off the rails close to a camp for the homeless along the boundary between Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Florida Train Tanker Derails
Just a few weeks after a hazardous train derailed in Ohio, a train carrying more than 30,000 gallons of propane fuel has derailed in Florida, raising additional environmental worries.
The sixth car was carrying propane, while the other six were transporting sheetrock. In the course of the partial derailment, a propane-carrying railway car that did not topple jumped the track.
No injuries have been recorded, and there are currently no indications that any propane is leaking. Yet, as crews attempt to discharge the petroleum, local evacuation orders may become effective.
Before removing the car from the accident scene, first responders had to siphon 30,000 liters of propane from the tanker. While the propane was being drained from the car, infrared cameras were being employed to keep an eye on it.
The tragic train crash in East Palestine, Ohio, is primarily to blame for the increased public awareness of the nation’s railroads at the time of the accident.
Early in February, a Norfolk Southern train passing through the community derailed. To avert an explosion, emergency personnel had to vent and burn the dangerous and highly flammable vinyl chloride gas the locomotive was carrying.
Read more: Ohio toxic train derailment kills over 45,000 aquatic species
Villagers Worry About Adverse Health Effects
As government agencies continue to oversee the cleanup in the village, many are worried about the potential health effects of the residue from the chemical burn.
Since the East Palestine railway derailment, at least three additional trains have also derailed, but none have caused any injuries or significant chemical releases. Since the East Palestine catastrophe, a train hauling hazardous materials derailed in Detroit, as well as trains in Nebraska and Ohio.
Despite the recent media attention, train derailments are a common occurrence.
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 1,704 trains derail annually on average.
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