Train carrying 'hazardous' materials derails in US

Washington, March 28

In the latest toxic railway accident to hit the US, a train reportedly carrying hazardous materials derailed in North Dakota.

The Canadian Pacific train derailed shortly before midnight on Sunday in a rural area outside Wyndmere in Richland County. There were no injuries and no fire associated with the incident, Xinhua news agency reported.

A spokesperson for Canadian Pacific said in a statement that 31 of the 70 cars on the train left the tracks and some of the cars leaked liquid asphalt, which is used in road construction.

It wasn't immediately clear what led to the derailment or exactly how much liquid asphalt spilled. The railroad said that "there is no threat to public safety."

The incident came nearly two months after a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, a village located on Ohio's border with Pennsylvania, which involved 11 tank cars carrying hazardous materials.