VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Emergency crews were on the scene of a freight train derailment Thursday near Detroit that sent several train cars off the tracks, officials said.
Video from the scene of the derailment in Van Buren Township showed that numerous train cars from the Norfolk Southern train were off the tracks.
The derailment just before 9 a.m., in an area west of Detroit Metropolitan Airport left the tracks damaged and the wheels disconnected from some rail cars, but police said there were no reported injuries and no evidence that hazardous materials were exposed in the derailment.
Fire Chief David McInally gives an update on a train derailment in Van Buren Township, Michigan:
— The Recount (@therecount) February 16, 2023
“There was only one car that had hazardous materials on it. It was liquid chlorine. The car was not affected in the incident, had no leaks, and it didn’t come off the tracks.” pic.twitter.com/b8neXgK3HE
Authorities were urging motorists and residents to avoid the area while they investigate. Several local roads were temporarily closed by the derailment.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Michigan, said her office has been in touch with the federal officials, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. She said in a statement that a train car “carrying hazardous material has been put upright and is being removed from the area of the other derailed cars” and the EPA was sending a team to the scene.
