"Have you not seen what it does to the human body?": 'Hazardous material' in Arizona train derailment revealed to be corn syrup

In western Arizona, a freight train reportedly carrying hazardous materials was derailed.

On the evening of Wednesday, March 15, 2023, the train went off its tracks. Although the train was carrying corn syrup, there were no immediate spills or leaks from the train in Mohave County, the location where the incident happened.

However, a spokesperson for the Mohave County Sheriff's Office allegedly said that the train was carrying 'hazardous materials.' As it happened, neitizens were concerned about what the train was carrying amist the conflicting reports.

Screenshot of an user's tweet (Image via Twitter)

Anita Mortensen, the spokesperson of the County Sheriff's Office, claimed that the train derailed near Milepost 9 of Interstate 40. Moreover, the sheriff's department was informed about the incident after 8 pm on Wednesday.

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BSNF Railway confirmed that were no direct injuries caused by the derailed train near Topock, Arizona

BSNF Railway confirmed the incident in Arizona in a written statement, saying:

"BNSF Railway can confirm that a train carrying corn syrup derailed near Topock in western Arizona, close to the California border on March 15, at approximately 7:40 pm local time."

In the same statement, the railway line also claimed that there were no direct injuries:

"There were no injuries as a result of the derailment and preliminarily reports indicate there are no hazardous materials involved."

However, the initial conversation about the derailment in Arizona with 'hazardous' substances caused concern on social media. The nation was already in the spotlight following a hazardous derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, in early February.

Chris Higa, a 25-year-old from Bullhead City, Arizona, talked about the derailed train as he recalled hearing about the mishap on a police scanner and rushed to the scene. He said:

"Being in my own town, it was definitely one of those like ‘Wow, is this actually happening?'"

Continuing, he talked about how his reaction soon switched from concern to shock and then awe at the site of the incident:

“Kicking on that light bar, my vehicle, I could see the part of the train, and it was like, wow, there's an actual train in the middle of the desert."

Higa reportedly said that there was no smell or sight of anything that indicated a leak of hazardous materials.

He witnessed just a portion of the train in the desert, slight movements from the diesel engine, and an increase in law enforcement officials as time passed by:

“I didn't notice anything out of the blue, there was no smell. It was just that humid air. There was no discoloration in the air, anything of any chemicals, no glowing of anything.”

Sometime before the incident, Arizona was under a tornado warning with some flooding around the area as well. Higa noticed a little storm runoff that might have impacted the train tracks. BNSF Railway confirmed that the railway track was blocked, and there has been no estimated time for its reopening.

At least one scheduled trip was canceled in the nearby area of Arizona due to a “disabled freight train blocking the route ahead.” In addition, the Mohave County Sheriff's Office claimed that the National Transportation Safety Board had been informed of the train derailment and would investigate the incident.

Another train derailment took place in Ohio on March 8, 2023. The recent incident - being the second in just over a month - seemed to raise concerns about the safety of the railways in the country.