LOWER SAUCON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (CBS) — A Norfolk Southern freight train has derailed near Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in the Lehigh Valley on Saturday morning, according to a local fire company and Northampton County authorities.
Images from the Nancy Run Fire Company’s Facebook page show a train off its tracks on Riverside Drive in Lower Saucon Township, Pennsylvania. The train was hauling boxcars and tanker cars, the photos show.
The tracks are next to the Lehigh River. The photos also show at least one train car partially submerged in the river.
Nancy Run Fire Company says no one was injured in the derailment.
Norfolk Southern sent the following statement to CBS News Philadelphia:
“Norfolk Southern has responded to an incident near Bethlehem, PA. At this time, there are no reports of injuries. We appreciate the quick, professional response by local emergency agencies. Our crews and contractors are on-scene and developing a clean-up plan.”
Northampton County Executive Lamont McClure said no one is being evacuated from the area and nothing appears to be leaking from the containers on the train.
Emergency responders from Northampton and Lehigh counties are at the scene, McClure wrote on Facebook.
“Norfolk Southern is on site and is doing an assessment. The most important thing we can do for our first responders is stay away from the site!” the post says.
Norfolk Southern has come under fire in the past year over multiple train derailments, the most notable in East Palestine, Ohio, when 38 cars of a 151-car train carrying hazardous materials derailed and 12 others caught fire. Since then, residents of the eastern Ohio town have reported health problems and there have also been wildlife deaths.
Norfolk Southern had multiple derailments last year including one on April 8 in Pittsburgh and another on May 10 in New Castle, Ohio.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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