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 |  Subject: US train carrying toxic chemicals derails and catches fire causing mass evacuation  Thu Jul 02, 2015 7:50 am | |
| US train carrying toxic chemicals derails and catches fire causing mass evacuation
- Train carrying 'highly flammable and toxic gas' has derailed
- 5,000 people evacuated from Knoxville, Tennessee
- Firefighters say it was carrying acrylonitrile which poses respiratory risks
- Seven officers taken to hospital after inhaling fumes from fire
By KATE PICKLES FOR MAILONLINEPUBLISHED: 04:33 EST, 2 July 2015 | UPDATED: 07:02 EST, 2 July 2015A train carrying toxic chemicals has derailed and caught fire causing thousands of people to be evacuated.More 5,000 people have been forced to leave their homes after a train with 'highly flammable and toxic gas' derailed and caught fire near Knoxville, Tennessee.Seven police officers were taken to hospital after breathing in fumes from the blaze, while fire-fighters in gas masks have been going from door to door to evacuate residents. Scroll down for video  Toxic: Seven officers were taken to hospital after inhaling the toxic fumes following the derailment in Maryville, Tennessee As many as three cars derailed, Blount County Sheriff's spokeswoman Marian O'Briant said. Local fire authorities ordered a one-mile evacuation, and Hazmat crews responded to the scene.'Evacuation time could last anywhere from 24 to 48 hours, but we'll get word out as soon as we can,' she said.Two shelters have been set up for residents including one at a local high school, according to David Kitchen, senior disaster program Manager for the Tennessee Volunteer Region of the Red Cross.EEvacuations as train carrying toxic gas derails and catches fire  Evacuated: More than 5,000 people have had to leave their homes and seek refuge in shelters following the derailment of a train carrying toxic substances Evacuation: A train derailed near Knoxville, Tennessee, while carrying a toxic substance, causing 5,000 people to be evacuatedThe CSX train was heading from Cincinnati to Waycross, Georgia and had 2 locomotives, 45 loaded rail cars carrying mixed freight and 12 empty rail cars. It was carrying liquefied petroleum gas and acrylonitrile, a substance used to make plastics, among other things, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.Inhaling the substance, which is primarily used in the manufacture of acrylic and modacrylic fibers, can cause headaches, dizziness, and nausea.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3146984/US-train-carrying-toxic-chemicals-derails-catches-fire-causing-mass-evacuation.html#ixzz3ejnuYP4O |
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