A Mississippi train that skidded off the rails on Friday caused residents of a small town to evacuate.
Chemicals being transported on the 85-car train spilled out of 18 of the cars that derailed, according to Canadian National Railway spokesperson Patrick Waldron, who spoke with the Associated Press.
Some of the train's cars derailed at about 9 a.m. on Friday in the southeastern Mississippi town of New Augusta.
According to Waldron, the train was on its way to Mobile, Ala. from Jackson, Miss.
No injuries have yet been reported.
The cause for the derailment is still unknown, but railway officials said an investigation had been opened into the event.
According to Mississippi Department of Transportation officials that spoke with the Associated Press, U.S. Highway 98 was closed shortly after the train slipped off the tracks.
Some of the cars involved in the derailment were reportedly carrying hazardous materials. Methanol and fuel oil were said to have leaked in the immediate area.
Although the spill was largely under control by the afternoon, Sheriff of Perry County Dale Smith told the Associated Press that residents of nearby houses and a trailer park were told to evacuate as a safety measure.
Smith called the leaking substance ethanol, but this hasn't been confirmed just yet.
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