The spate of catastrophic train derailments across the US heartland has continued after another train left its tracks in Gothenburg, Nebraska.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene following the derailment, which occurred overnight Tuesday at around 1:45am on the eastern edge of the town. A witness told DailyMail.com that the issue has plagued the small town after the same stretch of track has seen four train derailments in the last 10 months.
The latest derailment comes after several other similar wrecks occurred in recent weeks, including a devastating accident in East Palestine, Ohio that caused the town to be evacuated after it was damaged by a toxic waste runoff.
The East Palestine and Nebraska derailments are among more than a dozen train wrecks that have been reported across the US since the start of the year, leading embattled Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg to announce that he is now planning to visit the site of the toxic derailment in Ohio, 18 days after the disaster.
Crews with the Union Pacific Railroad were also called to the site Tuesday morning to attempt the cleanup. Local resident Jesse Ambler told DailyMail.com that train derailments have occurred numerous times in the area in recent months, which has caused significant disruption to the local town of roughly 3500 people. ‘It seems to happen all the time,’ he said. ‘I don’t know what the deal is.’
‘This is the fourth one in the last 10 months, it must be one of the busiest railways in America. ‘The rail company keeps laying people off and building longer and longer trains, but with less people to maintain the tracks. It’s a problem.’
He added that around 20 vehicles and an excavator were quickly on the scene following the wreck, as authorities attempt to quickly clean up the site. Footage of the wreck shows numerous carriages laid on their side while workers organize around it.
According to 1011Now, train derailments have hit the same area in May, June, and November of last year. Union Railroad said in a statement: ‘At about 1:45 a.m. CST today, approximately 31 Union Pacific train cars carrying coal derailed near Gothenburg, Nebraska.
‘No one was injured. The incident occurred about three miles southeast of Gothenburg. Cleanup has begun, with heavy equipment on site. ‘One of the three mainline tracks near the derailment site reopened to train traffic at about 8 a.m. CST. The cause of the incident is under investigation.’
