Freight train derails in southeastern Pennsylvania; there are no reports of injuries or dangers

A freight train derailment in southeastern Pennsylvania early Monday prompted preventive evacuations, but authorities said no injuries were reported and there was no known danger to the public.

The 40-car CSX train, which was operating on tracks owned by Norfolk Southern, derailed around 4:50 a.m. in Whitemarsh Township. More than a dozen cars appeared to be off the tracks.

Silicone granules were leaking from at least one carriage of the train, Whitemarsh police said, but posed no risk to the public. It was not immediately known what was inside the other derailed cars, and hazmat crews were at the scene.

The cause of the derailment was under investigation.

Norfolk Southern, and the entire rail industry, has been under intense scrutiny since one of its trains derailed and caught fire in February in Ohio, creating towering black smoke, forcing evacuations and raising environmental concerns.

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