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Train derailment prompts mass evacuations

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HANDLEY, West Virginia (CNN) -- The clean up process has begun after a train carrying hazardous chemicals derailed in Handley, West Virginia, early Tuesday.

Just before noon, officials received the "all clear" to turn the derailed tankers upright and begin removing the chemicals.

More than 500 people were forced to evacuate when the 99-car train derailed, but no injuries have been reported.

The evacuation order is expected to be dropped from mandatory to advisory, with the exception of a small area around the derailment, once chemicals are removed, according to a statement. Officials expect that process to take about two hours.

Twenty-two cars went off track, and 11 of those contained or had carried hazardous materials, said Gary Sease, spokesman of CSX transportation, the train's rail cargo company.

Five of the derailed cars were carrying propane gas, four contained a sodium hydroxide solution, similar to a drain cleaner, and one was transporting chlorobenzene, often used in dry cleaning, according to The Associated Press. One car was empty, but since it had transported chlorine recently, the company had to include it in the derailment report, Sease told CNN.

About 20 police officers and dozens of firefighters were on the scene, and as a precautionary measure a nearby highway, Route 61, was closed.

While no leaks have been reported by CSX, the potential for a breach is of great concern to emergency officials. County officials said that a mixture of the chemicals could cause an explosion or fire.

The potentially explosive cocktail of chemicals could force an evacuation of the state's capital, Charleston, if a leak were to occur while unloading the hazardous materials from the wreck, Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said. Charleston is about 25 miles away from Handley.

Weather is also a concern. Single-digit temperatures have made work difficult for emergency workers, and four to seven inches of snowfall is forecast for the area during the day.

The train was traveling from Richmond, Virginia, to Cincinnati, Ohio.

Handley is a riverside community with about 550 residents.

CNN's Zak Sos contributed to this report

Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

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