18 cars of CN train derails in Mississippi; chemical leaking, 50 residents evacuated

JACKSON, Miss. – About 50 residents in a southeast Mississippi town have been evacuated after 18 cars of an 85-car train derailed, spilling chemicals.

Canadian National Railway spokesman Patrick Waldron says the train, heading from Jackson, Miss., to Mobile, Ala., derailed at 9 a.m. Friday in New Augusta.

There are no reported injuries, and the cause of the derailment is being investigated.

The Mississippi Department of Transportation says U.S. Highway 98 is closed because of the derailment.

Waldron says several of the cars carried hazardous materials including fuel oil and methanol. He says there are reports of fuel oil leaking.

Perry County Sheriff Jimmy Dale Smith described the leaking substance as ethanol. He says the spill is contained, though a trailer park and nearby houses were evacuated.