Second train derailment within a month in Ohio

About 20 cars of a Norfolk Southern cargo train derailed near Springfield, Ohio, on Saturday evening, the second derailment of the company's trains in a month, officials said.

However, unlike the Feb 3 derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, a company spokesperson said there were no hazardous materials aboard the train, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

The train, which did not have passengers, derailed about 5 pm on Saturday by State Route 41, near the Clark County Fairgrounds, the Dispatch reported. Springfield is about 70 kilometers west of the state capital of Columbus, Ohio.

The Springfield News-Sun quoted Shawn Heaton as saying he was waiting at the intersection as the train crossed it and captured the start of the derailment on video.

"I was right there and I was playing on my phone and then I heard a loud bang," Heaton said. "And when I heard the loud bang I started recording ... there was all kinds of debris and metal shoot out from under the cars... and you could see them start jumping off the tracks."

The Clark County Emergency Management Agency asked residents within 300 meters of the derailment to shelter in place, but it said it had not issued formal evacuation orders.

ASSOCIATED PRESS