In America, much is known about the Great Train Disaster in East Palestine (Ohio). Just before the derailment, the crew received an alarm from an overheated wheel bearing. Subsequently, the freight train was halted and the staff found the wagons derailed and on fire.

This emerged from the preliminary results of the investigation into the major train derailment Through the NTSB inspection service. According to the report, overheating of the wagon’s wheel bearing was picked up too late for the sensors to intervene. The disaster, where wagons full of toxic materials were burning for a long time, caused a lot of agitation in the American society.

Distrust of the authorities’ handling of the disaster runs deep among the roughly 5,000 residents of eastern Palestine. They believe the government has not been transparent about health risks. Officials deny it.

38 goods cars were derailed in the accident on February 3. Eleven wagons contained dangerous goods. Due to a series of fires, the contents of five wagons containing the highly flammable material vinyl chloride were burnt in a controlled manner on February 6. To prevent an explosion, the dust is released via an emergency exhaust system with a delay.

The surrounding areas were evacuated due to the toxic fumes released during this controlled burn. Apart from vinyl chloride, other chemicals have also been released from freight cars. But its extent is still under investigation.

See pictures of the flames here:

Residents are dealing with nosebleeds, headaches and nausea from the massive fire, but it’s not yet clear if there is a direct link to the disaster. Thousands of fish have died due to chemicals leaking into the water. According to residents, many pets are sick.

Disaster has also become a game piece in the political battle between Republicans and Democrats. For example, former President Donald Trump was in East Palestine yesterday as part of his campaign for next year’s presidential election. He said citizens have been “betrayed” by democratic rulers.

Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg was also at the scene today. He called on the department to work on the safety of rail and freight rail transport. But according to local resident Heather Babel, her arrival three weeks after the disaster comes too late. “They should have been here a long time ago. We need attention because we didn’t get it in the first place,” he told the AP news agency.

Conspiracy theories about the disaster are also circulating on social media. They are fed by the company Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not release a full list of all chemicals carried until nine days after the derailment. This led to all kinds of speculation about a possible cover-up.