Derailed Train Cars Rerailed; Acid Leak Sealed

PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) - Evacuations ordered after a hydrochloric acid leak from a railroad car ended and a dangerous situation was brought under control, a television news report said Friday morning.

State emergency management officials called for residents within a 2,500-foot radius to evacuate their homes as a precaution. Six people were taken to a Red Cross shelter set up at a local church. No injuries were reported, authorities said.

A report by WPSD-TV said four cars that left the track in a Paducah rail yard were rerailed, including one carrying hydrochloric acid that had been leaking.

Of the four cars that derailed around noon CDT Thursday, three turned over, said Larry Davis, vice president of sales and marketing for the Paducah and Louisville Railway.

One of the cars was carrying 1,900 pounds of hydrochloric acid and leaked some of the material, Davis said. Another of the overturned cars was empty and the third was carrying harmless plastic pellets, he said.

Davis said the leak had stopped by 3:30 p.m., and there was no structural damage to the rail car. A hazardous materials team conducting air tests in the area said readings were within acceptable safety ranges.

The rail yard is on the south side of Paducah in a mostly industrial area near some homes.

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