At least three people were killed Monday after an Amtrak train hit a dump truck and derailed in Missouri, officials said.
It’s not yet clear how many were injured, though at least two hospitals said they had received patients.
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Officials said Southwest Chief Train 4, which was carrying 207 passengers and additional crew members from Los Angeles to Chicago, hit a truck near Mendon, Missouri, at approximately 12:43 p.m. local time. An official from the Missouri State Highway Patrol said the crossing was “uncontrolled” and had no lights or crossing rails, which is common in more rural areas.
Seven of the train’s eight cars derailed, Missouri State Highway Patrol Corporal Justin Dunn said at a press conference.
Two of the victims were on the train and the other was in the truck, Dunn said. It’s not clear if the train victims were passengers or crew members. All passengers have been transported from the scene, Dunn said.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it’s sending a 14-member team to investigate the incident.
Mendon is about two hours northeast of Kansas City. University of Missouri Health Care, a hospital in Columbia, Missouri, said it is caring for nine patients from the derailment — though it said that number could change. University Health in Kansas City, a Level 1 Trauma Center able to handle severe injuries, said it has received one person who was transported by helicopter.
Amtrak did not provide any additional information about the crash or the condition of the train and its passengers. But photographs and videos appeared to show multiple cars turned on their side with passengers sitting on top, and another video appeared to show passengers comforting each other from the inside of an overturned train car.
Congressman Sam Graves, who represents Mendon, said he’s “closely monitoring” the derailment. Read more from CBS
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