Norfolk Southern ordered to pay for the damage caused following Ohio train derailment

As investigations into the Norfolk Southern train derailment continue, U.S. authorities are ordering the company to pay for the clean-up or face steep fines.

The train was carrying vinyl chloride and other potentially hazardous substances when it derailed.

Norfolk Southern is now facing multiple lawsuits, with many residents forced to flee their homes.

The Environmental Protection Agency has confirmed the company will “pay for cleaning up the mess they created and for the trauma they’ve inflicted on [the] community”.

Following the disaster, residents have been presenting with headaches and nausea, and expressed fears that local water supplies may be contaminated.

This is despite repeated assurances of local, state and federal officials that it is safe for consumption.

Meanwhile, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine says Norfolk Southern “needs to be made to pay” for any medical costs stemming from the derailment.

DeWine is also calling for long-term changes to how railroads operate.

He called it “absurd” and “fundamentally wrong” a train carrying potentially hazardous chemicals was not required to alert local authorities when it was in transit.