According to Seminole Gulf Railroad, the railway’s operator, six train cars, including two that were carrying propane, derailed in Manatee County, Florida, on Tuesday.
According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, there are no leaks or immediate threats, and no one was hurt.
Six rail cars derailed, according to Robert Fay, vice president of Seminole Gulf Railroad. Four automobiles hauling sheetrock and one propane tanker were among the five vehicles that fully flipped over. While a sixth car, also a propane tanker, derailed, it managed to keep upright.
No LPG, or liquified petroleum gas, escaped from either car.
Hazmat and fire fighters are working to put the vehicles upright, according to the Southern Manatee Fire Rescue.
Four rail cars were hauling sheetrock, and one tank car overturned, according to the Seminole Gulf Railroad. One car was reported as being upright and “half-derailed”.
The incident occurs as East Palestine, Ohio, struggles with cleanup following the accident of a hazardous material-carrying Northfolk Southern train earlier this month. This incident raised public scrutiny of railroad regulations and calls for reform.
According to Southern Manatee Fire Rescue Chief Robert Bounds, the salvage operation in Florida would take several days, and a representative for Seminole Gulf Railroad has stated that restoration work will be finished by March 6.
According to Bounds, an overturned train car contained 30,000 gallons of liquefied propane.
Workers will raise the car with the contents inside the tanker instead of attempting to unload the propane because the tanker is undamaged.
“It’s kind of a domino effect. The one car jumped the track and flipped, and that’ll pull the next car, and so on and so on until the inertia stops enough that the last car just unbuckled.”
The propane tanker would be attempted to be upright in the upcoming days, according to Bounds.
Bounds claims that employees on the scene are outfitted with gas-monitoring tools, and nearby companies have been made aware of the disaster.
Security is being offered close to the site by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office.
“The scene is as safe as it can be right now. Short of that tank being on its side, there is no problem,” Bounds stated.
The situation will be looked into by the Florida Department of Transportation.
