Officials say a train that derailed and exploded early Wednesday was not speeding, and that crew members saw nothing unusual on the track before the crash.
A Norfolk Southern train with two locomotives and 98 freight cars of mixed freight derailed between E. 11th and E. 5th avenues at about 2:05 a.m. The train was traveling southbound from Chicago to Linwood, N.C.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the train was traveling southbound, approaching a "fairly aggressive" curve in the track, and had a clear signal. The crew members said they saw nothing unusual on the track.
The train was traveling at 23 mph -- below the 25 mph speed limit -- while navigating the curve when the train derailed.
Sixteen train cars derailed, there was an explosion, and several train cars caught fire. The exact number of train cars that caught fire is not known.
The NTSB sent a 10-member team to Columbus to investigate the cause of the derailment.
NTSB officials said the track is thoroughly inspected three times each year with ultrasonic and induction methods, and the most recent inspection was conducted on April 5.
The tracks are also inspected twice each week. Inspectors visually inspect the tracks, and drive along them. The latest of the twice-weekly inspections occurred Monday.
The NTSB said that investigators will walk the final quarter-mile of the track to complete an inspection. They will reconstruct the rails and continue the investigation into the cause.
The NTSB said speed was not a factor in the crash at this point.
Officials said they are not releasing the names of the crew members.
According to investigators, there is an event recorder and forward-facing video on all locomotives. Those recordings will be analyzed at NTSB headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The train, a little more than a mile long, was carrying 12,319 tons of material, including ethanol, styrene monomer, grain and corn syrup.
At the time of the explosion, there were 90,000 gallons of ethanol on the train. 20,000 gallons of ethanol remained burning, with three train cars on fire throughout Wednesday.
As of Thursday morning, the wreckage was still smoldering.
Two people who were in the vicinity of the train when it derailed were injured. The victims drove themselves to the hospital.
Norfolk Southern said there were no injuries to train personnel.
Residents in the area were evacuated after the crash. The NTSB said a voluntary evacuation of a quarter-mile in the area was issued by the fire department late Wednesday.
For additional information, stay with NBC4 and refresh nbc4i.com.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail stories@nbc4i.com.
MORE: NBC4 Local News | Local Crime News
NBC4 SPORTS: Sports News, Video
NBC4 POLITICS: Headlines, Interactives & Video
