Topock.- A freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in western Arizona, near the state’s border with California and Nevada, according to an official.
The train derailed Wednesday night near the town of Topock, said Anita Mortensen, a spokeswoman for the Mohave County Sheriff’s Office, who said she had no news of any leaks or escapes. No injuries were reported.
The incident occurred amid widespread attention surrounding last month’s high-profile derailment in Ohio.
The Arizona derailment occurred near kilometer 9 of Interstate 40, Mortensen said. It is a rural, non-residential area about 20 miles (32 kilometers) north of Lake Havasu City. Mortensen said he had no information on how many cars the train had or what materials it was carrying when it went off the track.
Police had informed the National Transport Safety Board and the railway firm BNSF, the two organizations that the spokeswoman said would manage the accident.
Neither immediately responded to requests for comment Wednesday night.
Last month, a freight train carrying dangerous chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, near the Pennsylvania border. The incident caused a fire and caused hundreds of people to be evacuated.
The authorities tried to prevent an uncontrolled explosion, so they deliberately released and burned vinyl chloride from five of the carriages. That sparked flames and a large black smoke that made people wonder about its possible health effects, even though authorities claimed they were doing everything they could to protect people.
