BOVINA, Miss. — Seventeen cars of a Kansas City Southern train derailed Tuesday evening in Bovina, disrupting traffic and leading to concerns about hazardous materials in some of the cars.
The derailment blocked Bovina Drive, which could be impassable for an extended period, and knocked out a power line and transformer. No injuries were reported.
The Vicksburg Post reports some of the derailed cars contained sodium hydroxide, also known as lye, a corrosive substance that can cause skin burns and eye irritation. A private hazardous materials company was on scene as of Tuesday night, along with the Vicksburg Fire Department hazmat team, Warren County Fire, and representatitves of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. No evacuation orders had been issued, although residents were initially told to shelter in place.
Other agencies responding included the Warren County Sheriff and Mississippi Highway Patrol.
The Vicksburg Daily News reports the accident, involving a 77-car train, was called into authorities about 7:25 p.m.
Bovina is about 7 miles east of Vicksburg.
