Amtrak train derails in Missouri: many killed and at least 50 injured

CNN
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Three were killed and at least 50 were injured The Amtrak train derailed In Missouri, officials said Monday evening.

Cpl. Justin Dunn, a spokesman for Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop B, told reporters that two of those killed were on the train and the train collided with a third dump truck.

Authorities say the tragic incident occurred at an uncontrolled intersection of a gravel road crossing the southwestern railroad tracks – without warning lights or motion gates.

CT (1:42 pm ET) At 12:42 pm, Amtrak said the train collided with a dump truck at a public crossing near the town of Mendon.

Eight cars and two engines left the track “after hitting a truck that was obstructing a public crossing near Menton, Missouri,” company officials said in an updated statement. Ton told reporters that seven cars were derailed.

Amtrak had previously said the train had about 243 passengers and 12 crew on board.

A school has been converted into a testing center for victims with minor injuries, officials said.

Robert Nightingale, who was traveling in a sleeper car, said he was asleep when he heard something.

“It simply came to our notice then. It started to move, it started to play, and then it flickered, and then all of a sudden – all this dust was through my window, ”Nightingale from Davos, New Mexico, told CNN.

He said the train fell on the side where his box was.

The uninjured Nightingale could not go by herself through the dirty window, so he grabbed his backpack and climbed into the hallway. Then he went to an adjoining room, where he found a way to get out and climbed on the side of the train.

He said he and others helped some others reach the ground in front of the train. That said it looks like there are big rocks in the truck.

“It hit something important … every car had to get out,” he said.

Scott Armstrong, director of the Boy Scouts of America’s national media, told CNN on Monday that two Boy Scout troops from Appleton, Wisconsin, boarded the Amtrak train to help the wounded.

Armstrong said the scouts on the train were believed to be between the ages of 14 and 17 and that none of them were injured. Eight adults were with the troops.

Armstrong said the two troops, who were staying at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, were returning.

Menton is located 100 miles northeast of Kansas City. The train was going from Los Angeles to Chicago.

Those who need immediate assistance with information about the train can call 1-800-USA-RAIL or send an SMS, Amtrak said.

The The National Transportation Safety Board is sending a team of 14 people To the scene of the accident, The The company said in a tweet.

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Boutique tweeted Monday evening that Federal Railways staff are expected to support the investigation.

Boutique has tweeted“I’m saddened by the tragic loss of life and injuries in the Missouri train derailment today and the clash in Northern California over the weekend.”

This is the second accident in two days when an Amtrak train collided with a passenger vehicle. On Sunday, 85 passengers were on board A train collided with a vehicle in rural California. According to authorities, three people were killed and two were seriously injured. Authorities said all of the victims were in the vehicle.