An estimated 31 Union Pacific train cars derailed in Nebraska on Tuesday, the same day Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced his intention to visit East Palestine, Ohio, where another rail disaster occurred earlier this month.
The derailment happened around 1:45 a.m Tuesday when “31 Union Pacific cars derailed near Gothenburg, which is between North Platte and Kearney,” KETV reported, citing a statement from the company.
The outlet indicated the cars were carrying coal.
Nebraska News Channel Central noted this is the fourth derailment to occur in the area since May:
There were three UP train derailments in the area in 2022.
In May 2022, News 2 reported on the derailment of a Union Pacific train carrying coal southeast of Gothenburg. Another train derailment was reported near Gothenburg in June and the third happened in November near Lexington.
“Cleanup has begun with heavy equipment being brought to the site to clear the cars,” the Lexington Clipper-Herald reported
The outlet also noted that one of the three mainline tracks had reopened at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning.
This derailment comes just weeks after a train carrying chemicals derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.
On Tuesday, as Breitbart News noted, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg committed to visiting East Palestine “when the time is right.”
Buttigieg has come under fire for his handling of the East Palestine disaster. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) have both called on Buttigieg to resign from his post.
“For two years, Secretary Buttigieg downplayed and ignored crisis after crisis, while prioritizing topics of little relevance to our nation’s transportation system,” Rubio wrote.
Speaking with WKYC, Buttigieg hinted that he hadn’t visited out of respect for “the independent role of the [National Transportation Safety Board]” but said he now felt the need “to be with the residents of East Palestine.”
WKYC noted Buttigieg “did not elaborate on when he plans to visit the East Palestine area.”
You can follow Michael Foster on Twitter at @realmfoster.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.