About 35 cars of the 72-car CSX train was traveling to Philadelphia from Richmond, Va., when it came off the tracks about midday in Cecil County, about eight miles west of Newark, Del., CSX spokesman Dan Murphy said.
Thirteen of the cars were tankers carrying hazardous materials. Two tankers were contained after leaking 50 and 200 gallons of phosphoric acid, respectively, Murphy said.
``There is no cloud of the substance coming from the cars,'' said Sgt. John Blades of the Maryland State Police. He added that nearby residents were taken to a shelter as a precaution.
Officials said they do not know what caused the derailment.
Murphy said crews will work through the night to make the single railroad track passable.
A section of Route 272 was closed for most of the afternoon as a safety measure.
