Derailed train suspended over cliff

A train carrying non-hazardous chemicals is partially suspended over a steep cliff after derailing in northeastern California.

One of the train’s 73 carriages hung over a drop known as China Wall in a rural area away from people and homes, said Placer County Sheriff’s Captain Rick Armstrong. No one was injured and authorities said the carriage was not in danger of falling.

One of the six cars that derailed contained non-hazardous byproducts and two were carrying an ammonia sulphate powder that is not dangerous by itself, Armstrong said.

The Burlington Northern & Santa Fe train was heading east when it derailed, said Michael Furtney, a spokesman for Union Pacific, which owns the tracks.

The California Forestry Department dispatched hazardous materials crews to the site, northeast of Sacramento.

‘‘We’ve got people out there on the scene trying to secure all the cars and make sure none of them are leaking,’’ Furtney said. ‘‘Given the location, it’s fairly tricky.’’

Passengers on Amtrak’s California Zephyr, bound for Emeryville from Chicago, were taken away on buses to continue their journey, said Tom Gambrel of Amtrak.

The cause of the derailment is being investigated.