Train carrying hydrochloric acid derails in Ohio

A Norfolk Southern train carrying at least one tank car of hydrochloric acid derailed, prompting evacuations. Emergency management officials later reduced the evacuation zone after determining there was no immediate chemical threat.

The derailment happened Sunday night in Bucyrus which is in Crawford County, about an hour north of Columbus.

Any Norfolk Southern derailment in Ohio is likely to draw comparisons to East Palestine, where a 2023 derailment and release of hazardous chemicals sparked a national environmental and public health crisis. Although the train includes at least one tank car carrying hydrochloric acid, authorities say none of the derailed railcars are leaking, adding there is no immediate threat to the public.

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Emergency teams initially asked neighbors within a mile radius of the crash to evacuate because of the potential for tanker cars carrying hydrochloric acid to leak and create breathing issues for people nearby. Bucyrus High School was opened as a temporary shelter for people forced from their homes.

By Monday morning, officials said the situation had stabilized. Emergency officials reduced the evacuation zone to a quarter-mile radius, saying the precautionary evacuation area could be scaled back as cleanup continued.

“Rail crews are working diligently to remove the derailed train cars,” the Crawford County Emergency Management Agency said in a Monday morning update.

Cleanup was expected to continue for at least another day. Residents were still being asked to avoid the area while crews removed the derailed railcars and cleared the tracks.

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