(The Associated Press circulated the following story on January 6.)
GRANITEVILLE, S.C. — Two trains collided here Thursday morning, spilling a hazardous chemical and sending dozens of people to a decontamination site in Aiken.
Two Norfolk Southern freight trains collided in Graniteville — about 11 miles east of Augusta, Ga. — about 2:30 a.m., Aiken County sheriff’s Lt. Michael Frank said.
One of the cars struck a tree, knocked it onto a car and trapped a woman inside for about two hours, Frank said. The woman was removed and taken to a hospital for treatment.
A tanker car on the other train ruptured, spilling a chemical that apparently included chlorine, Frank said.
People were urged to turn off air conditioners and heaters and remain inside.
There was no immediate word on the number of people injured. A number of people complained of respiratory problems, WIS-TV in Columbia reported.
Those who were exposed were told to report to a decontamination unit set up at the gym at the University of South Carolina Aiken campus, Frank said. Some of the people treated at the decontamination unit were sent for treatment at the Aiken Regional Medical Center.
One of the cars was on fire, emitting a thick, orange vapor. Firefighters were not been able to fight the blaze immediately because emergency officials were going car by car to determine what type chemicals were inside.
At a textile mill, a number of workers were reported injured in the receiving area, which has a railroad loading dock.
The state’s emergency response team was at the scene, said Thom Berry, spokesman for the Department of Health and Environmental Control.
One high school and three elementary schools in the area were closed for the day, WIS-TV reported.