Ohio train derailment — updates: Trump plans East Palestine visit as fears grow over chemicals spilled

Graig Graziosi and Louise Boyle

Sat, 18 February 2023 at 6:19 pm GMT

Donald Trump’s team has announced plans for a visit to East Palestine, Ohio, two weeks after a freight train laden with toxic materials derailed and leaked into the community.

In a statement on Friday, Mr Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr revealed that the former president had made the decision to visit East Palestine. The scope of the visit was not specified but a source close to Mr Trump told Fox News that he is expected to travel to the village with a population of 4,700 on Wednesday.

“Breaking News: Trump will visit East Palestine, Ohio next week,” Mr Trump Jr tweeted. “If our “leaders” are too afraid to actually lead real leaders will step up and fill the void.”

It will be the first time Mr Trump addresses the disastrous train derailment. Critics have pointed to the Trump administration’s decision in 2017 to roll back an earlier Obama rule which required some freight trains to use electronically-controlled pneumatic brakes if cars were carrying flammable liquids.

Meanwhile, video has emerged of an apparently heavily-contaminated creek. In the minute-long clip, posted by tech blogger Nick Sortor on Thursday, a woman throws a heavy stone into the creek and when the ripples settle, large oily spots appear on the surface.

It is not clear what relation the creek has to the town’s drinking water supply. The US Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday: “In East Palestine, residents get their water from a few different sources – which are all actively being tested by the state and local governments, with EPA’s support.”

Key points

• Lawsuit alleges Norfolk’s clean up efforts ‘made it worse’
• Angry Ohio residents seek answers on train’s toxic spill
• Animals drop dead as ecological disaster unfolds
• Watch: Devastating aftermath of Ohio train derailment revealed in shocking drone footage
• Ohio train derailment fallout map