The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report Thursday on its investigation of the Feb. 3 train wreck in Ohio, providing no firm conclusions about the cause of the accident but listing a number of factors that may have contributed, including the possibility that the crew ignored warnings about overheated wheel bearings.
The report comes nearly three weeks after the 149-car Norfolk Southern train carrying 20 carloads of hazardous materials derailed and caught fire, spewing chemicals like highly toxic vinyl chloride into the area around East Palestine, Ohio, and forcing an evacuation of many of the town’s 4,700 residents.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg toured the accident site Thursday morning and spoke with reporters afterward. Buttigieg and the Biden administration have been criticized for a slow response to the disaster, with many in the community expressing alarm about potential health problems from the chemical exposures in air, soil and water.
