By Tim Stelloh -
NBC News
Federal transportation authorities are expected to release a preliminary report Thursday about the derailment of a train carrying dangerous chemicals that left a small Ohio town in fear and anxiety.
The National Transportation Safety Board report could offer clues about what caused the 150-car Norfolk Southern Railway train to crash in East Palestine, just west of the Pennsylvania border, on February 3.
[EPA Orders Norfolk Southern to Clean Up Ohio Train Derailment Site and Pay All Costs]
An agency official said earlier that one of the wagons may have had a broken or malfunctioning axle.
The train was carrying various chemicals, including vinyl chloride, a highly flammable carcinogen used to produce polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for packaging materials and other products, when it derailed at 8.55pm.
The possibility of catastrophic failure of the tanker - and an explosion that could send shrapnel up to a mile away - prompted the Norfolk Southern rail company to conduct a controlled unloading on February 6.
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In the weeks that followed, Ohio state officials reported fish kills in nearby streams as residents tried to protect their homes from contamination.
Some of those who were forced to leave their homes during the spill have sued the company, alleging negligence.
On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency ordered the rail company to identify and clean up the contaminated soil and water.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said his office had filed a criminal complaint over the derailment, while Ohio authorities said they could also take legal action against the company.
[Two Florida journalists reporting at the scene of a shooting are shot: one is dead]
The company launched a website documenting its cleanup efforts and citing EPA data showing air and water safety.
“We recognize that we have a responsibility, and we are committed to doing the right thing for the residents of East Palestine,” the company said in a statement posted on the site.
"We will learn from this terrible accident and work with regulators and elected officials to improve rail safety," the statement added.
