CHICAGO, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Two locomotives and 21 cars of a Union Pacific <UNP.N> Railroad freight train derailed in southern Illinois on Monday, spilling a chemical that forced the evacuation of about 75 homes in bitterly cold weather, the railroad said.

Spokesman James Barnes said the cause of the accident was not immediately known.

The 83-car train was headed to Chicago from Houston when it left the tracks near Benton, Illinois, around 2:35 a.m. (3:35 a.m. EST/0835 GMT), he said. The type of chemical hazard involved was not immediately known.

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