East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment

Historical eventFebruary 32023

East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment

A freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, releasing hazardous materials into the surrounding area.

Everything on February 3Original source
Photo: National Transportation Safety Board · Public domain

In context

When
Friday, February 3 20233 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
21st century · 2020s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 2023-02-03.

Place: East Palestine, United States.

Type: derailment and environmental disaster.

Deaths reported: 0. Casualties: 0.

What came before

Background The train that derailed was Norfolk Southern 32N, [ 1 ] operating from the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis yard in Madison, Illinois , to Norfolk Southern's Conway Yard in Conway, Pennsylvania , on the Fort Wayne Line . Aboard the 9,300-foot-long (1.76 mi; 2.8 km) train [ 2 ] were an engineer , conductor , and conductor trainee. [ 3 ] The train consisted of three General Electric AC44C6M locomotives (Nos. 4178 and 4224 on the head-end and No.

Catalyst / how it started

Linked causes: mechanical failure.

What happened

On February 3, 2023, at 8:55 p.m. EST (UTC−5), a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, United States. The train was carrying hazardous materials when 38 cars derailed. Several railcars burned for more than two days and emergency crews also conducted controlled burns of several railcars, which released hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the air. Residents within a 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) radius were evacuated. Agencies from Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia,

February 3 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1995Eileen Collins
  2. 19981998 Cavalese cable car crash
  3. 1998Commutation (law)
  4. 2005Kam Air Flight 904
  5. 2006Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
  6. 2007February 2007 Al-Saydiya market bombing
  7. 2010L'Homme qui marche I
  8. 20142014 Moscow school shooting
  9. 2014School shooting
  10. 2023East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment
  11. 20262026 Kwara State attacks

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Everything we record for 2023 →

Sources

Cite this page

“East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/east-palestine-ohio-train-derailment-2023-february-3, accessed October 27, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment happen?

February 3 2023 — 3 years ago, on a Friday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

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