What was on the train that derailed in Arizona?

Eight freight rail tankers derailed near Topock, Arizona, on Wednesday evening, according to BNSF Railway. Despite initial reports from the Mojave County Sheriff's Office that the train was carrying hazardous materials, BNSF confirmed that the train was actually carrying corn syrup.



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What were the five chemicals the EPA found at the site? On Feb. 10, the EPA sent a letter to Norfolk Southern Railway Company reporting five toxic chemicals found in air, soil, or water surrounding the crash site. They are: vinyl chloride, butyl acrylate, ethylene glycol, isobutylene, and ethylhexyl acrylate.

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“The decision was made to go ahead and allow that process to happen, to prevent that catastrophic failure of the railroad car, Drabick said. Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has been called before both Ohio lawmakers and members of Congress, and he apologized for the derailment.

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At about 1:15 a.m. on July 6, 2013, as the ghost train raced into the town's center, the tank cars separated from the locomotives and derailed. The resulting explosion of six million liters of oil killed 47 people in Lac-Mégantic, a community of 5,600, and incinerated most of its downtown.

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The Malbone Street Wreck (102 dead) All train crashes are tragic, but the Malbone Street Wreck is commonly considered the worst train crash in American history. On November 1, 1918, a packed Brighton Beach-bound train was speeding through a tunnel under Brooklyn's Malbone Street.

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Debate over vinyl chloride has simmered for years, but gained a new urgency after the Feb. 3 derailment of a 50-car Norfolk Southern freight train in East Palestine. Three days later, emergency crews released toxic vinyl chloride from five tank cars and burned it to keep them from exploding.

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A freight train derailed in Tennessee after colliding with a truck carrying a concrete beam as it was crossing the tracks, police said.

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About 1,000 derailments occur every year across the United States, according to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). In 2022, there were 1,044 instances of trains coming off their tracks. Broken or defective railroads are one of the most common causes of derailments, according to the FRA.

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