(The Associated Press circulated the following article on March 12.)
ONEIDA, N.Y. — A train derailment in central New York has forced the evacuation of downtown Oneida.
The derailment caused an explosion that sent a huge fireball into the dawn sky and left several freight cars burning. Many of the train’s 80 cars had propane inside. Black smoke has been pouring out for hours, as the city’s downtown was evacuated.
Many of the train’s 80 cars had propane inside. Authorities, concerned about the possibility of further explosions, evacuated a one-mile radius around the blast. There have been no reports of injuries from the blast.