A major road is closed and residents are being advised to avoid the area after a freight train derailed in the Steel City section of Lower Saucon Township Saturday morning.
The train derailed along Riverside Drive with several cars including an engine spilling sideways down an embankment into or near the Lehigh River. An eyewitness said at least eight cars derailed.
Nancy Run Fire Company, which is one of the many companies that have responded to the scene of the disaster, shared dramatic photos of the entangled rail cars along the tracks and in the river.
In their Facebook post–which by 10 a.m. had been shared over 800 times–officials with Nancy Run said Rescue Engine 1413 was on scene.
The company also posted that no injuries were reported as a result of the derailment.
Another Facebook post by a local photographer’s page called Two Idiots Buffing included dozens of photos of the scene in which first responders from Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 can be scene in a boat on the river at the scene of the derailment.
Lower Saucon Township Police issued alerts via their Nixle notification system and Crimewatch site advising the community that Riverside Drive is closed at the Hillclimb due to the derailment.
“Please stay out of the area. Emergency personnel are on scene investigating at this time,” police said at around 8:30 a.m.
It was not immediately clear what the derailed rail cars were transporting and what, if anything, may have spilled out of them due to the accident.
Steel City residents have long expressed concerns about the proximity of the busy rail line to their neighborhood, particularly because Riverside Drive is the only road in and out of it.
Note: This is a developing story. It may be updated with additional information as it becomes available.
