Freight train derails in Connecticut, sending cars carrying liquid propane into river

MANSFIELD, Conn. (AP) — A freight train derailed Thursday in Connecticut, sending cars carrying hazardous materials tumbling into a river, though officials say they don’t appear to be leaking.

Local and state officials said the incident happened shortly before 9:30 a.m. along the Willimantic River in Mansfield, a rural town a few miles west of the University of Connecticut.

Mansfield Fire Chief John Roache said six of the train’s roughly 14 cars fell off the tracks, and four of them ended up in the water.

The cars off the tracks were carrying liquid propane while those still on the tracks carried other materials, he said.

Roache said no one is hurt and the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Town officials issued a shelter-in-place order for those living within half a mile of the derailment, though they stressed no evacuations have been ordered at this time.

Instead they urged residents to remain indoors as the liquid propane the train was carrying is odorless and wouldn’t be immediately detected by smell.

The town also closed a nearby roadway and said school officials are working on alternative bus routes for students when classes end.

“Fortunately, it seems under control,” Mansfield Town Manager Ryan Aylesworth said at a news conference.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said state and local hazardous materials teams monitoring for leaks have placed hazmat booms in the water as a precaution.

Roache said the recovery process could take days, given the derailment happened in a fairly remote location and under difficult, frigid conditions for responders.

“It’s not going to be a today operation,” he said. “They’re going to have to get some cranes in there. It’s going to take some time.”