Inside the East Palestine, Ohio wreck

Officials say a mechanical issue with a rail car axle caused the derailment of about 50 cars on a 100-plus-car Norfolk Southern train, including 10 cars carrying hazardous materials, on February 3, 2023.

The accident occurred in East Palestine, Ohio – a town of about 5,000 along the Ohio-Pennsylvania border- on February 3, 2023 at about 9:00 PM ET.

Norfolk Southern waited two hours to report the incident to the National Response Center. Officials waited two days to issue evacuations.

Two freshwater streams tested positive for contamination the day after the accident, but Norfolk Southern waited a full week to build a dam and water bypass to prevent contamination of downstream waters.