Train derails in Pennsylvania, sends several cars into Lehigh River

Crews are working to clean up a train derailment in Pennsylvania that led to several cars landing in the Lehigh River.

It happened on the morning in Lower Saucon Township in Northampton County, fire and county officials announced on Facebook. Photographs show box and tanker cars off the tracks.

“There are currently no evacuations, no injuries, and no leaks from any containers,” the County of Northampton said while asking people to stay away from the site and allow first responders to do their jobs.

Northampton County Emergency Management, Lehigh County Hazmat and Nancy Run Fire Company are on the scene off Riverside Drive.

The train belongs to Norfolk Southern, Northampton County says. Crews from the company are on site doing an assessment.

Norfolk Southern had multiple derailments last year, with one of the most notable in Ohio “when 38 cars of a 151-car train carrying hazardous materials derailed and 12 others caught fire,” CBS News Philadelphia reports.

Norfolk Southern said in a statement to Fox News Digital they responded to the incident near Bethlehem and “appreciate the quick, professional response by local emergency agencies.” Crews and contractors are developing a clean-up plan at the derailment site. 

A corporate fact sheet from Norfolk Southern says the company “has the most extensive intermodal franchise in the East” and ships over 2,900 commodities for its customers. The company also says it is the “largest rail shipper of metals in North America.”