Keeping track, Mayor Pete?! Union Pacific coal train derails in Nebraska - the fourth to topple over in same area in ten months
- A train derailment in Gothenburg, Nebraska has sparked an emergency hazmat response
- The rail wreck is one of more than a dozen reported incidents since the start of the year
- It comes after a toxic train derailment sparked an urgent evacuation in East Palestine, Ohio earlier this month
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.
A train derailed overnight in Gothenburg, Nebraska, leading an emergency hazmat response
The train reportedly flew off its tracks overnight, continuing a recent spate of derailments across the US heartland
Emergency cleanup crews have been seen on site following the overnight derailment
Around thirty train cars were seen off the track following the overnight derailing in Gothenburg, around 50 miles from the Nebraska state capital of Lincoln.
Law enforcement and a hazmat team were on the scene as authorities deal with yet another derailment on the nation's railways.
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 cleanup 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 1:45a.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.'
A recent derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, pictured, led to a mass evacuation after carriages carrying toxic chemicals devastated the nearby area
Another train with at least one car carrying hazardous materials derailed outside Detroit, pictured, just weeks after the incident in East Palestine, Ohio
The latest rail wreck comes after a similar derailment in East Palestine, Ohio has become one of the most devastating such accidents in recent memory.
The disaster saw around 50 cars, including 10 carrying hazardous materials, derail in a fiery crash on Friday, February 3.
The crisis led nearby houses to be quickly evacuated after toxic vinyl chloride was slowly released from five of those cars.
Authorities then ignited the gases for a 'controlled release' of the highly flammable, hazardous chemicals in a controlled environment, creating a dark plume of smoke that could be seen for miles.
Despite residents being told it was safe for them to return home following their evacuation, many locals have since complained of severe side effects, including persistent coughs and burning eyes.
Thousands of dead fish were also spotted in waterways around the scene after the incident, and residents have complained that local animals are dying off in the surrounding areas.
Another derailment from the same railway company, Norfolk Southern, occurred last week after a train carrying at least one car of hazardous materials derailed in Detroit.
The repeated crises have sparked concerns about the safety of the US railway network and the transportation of hazardous materials.
The spate of train disasters in recent months has heaped pressure on Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who appeared to downplay the Ohio disaster this week as he admitted there are 'roughly 1,000 cases' of trains derailing every year.
'While this horrible situation has gotten a particularly high amount of attention, there are roughly 1000 cases a year of a train derailing. Obviously they have levels of severity,' he said in a clip posted by Yahoo News on Thursday.
'Oh I feel much better now,' Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., shot back sarcastically on Twitter to the video.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Tuesday morning that he will finally visit the site of the train derailment that released hazardous material into East Palestine, Ohio earlier this month
Despite his attempts to remedy the Ohio disaster spot, including a delayed visit to the area three weeks after it occurred, Buttigieg has come under increased criticism for his response.
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said it was 'unacceptable' that no senior Biden administration official had visited East Palestine, Ohio for weeks - with EPA administrator Michael Regan only visiting 13 days after the Norfolk Southern train veered off-track.
Manchin added: 'I urge President Biden, Administrator Regan, and Transportation Secretary Buttigieg to provide a complete picture of the damage and a comprehensive plan to ensure the community is supported in the weeks, months and years to come, and this sort of accident never happens again.
'The damage done to East Palestine and the surrounding region is awful and it's past time for those responsible to step up to the plate.'
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