Joplin, Montana, Sept. 26 (BNA) At least three people were killed Saturday afternoon when an Amtrak train between Seattle and Chicago derailed in north-central Montana, a Liberty County Sheriff’s Office official said.
Sender Star Tyler told The Associated Press that three people died in derailment. She had no more details. Amtrak said in a statement that there were several injuries, the Associated Press reported.
Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams said in a statement that the westbound Empire Builder train derailed around 4 p.m. near Joplin, a town of about 200 people. The scene of the accident was located about 150 miles (241 kilometers) north of Helena and about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the border with Canada.
Abrams said the train was carrying 141 passengers and 16 crew members.
He said the train consisted of two locomotives and 10 cars, of which seven derailed.
Megan Vandervest, a commuter on the train who was going to visit a friend in Seattle, told the New York Times that she was woken up by a derailment.
“My first thought was that we derailed because, frankly, I was worried and heard stories of derailed trains,” Vandervest, who is from Minneapolis, said. “My second thought was that this is crazy. We’re not going to get derailed. Like, that’s not happening.”
She told The Times that the car behind her was tilted, the car behind her was completely tilted, and the three cars behind her “completely fell off the rails and were detached from the train.”
Speaking from the Liberty County Senior Center, where the passengers were taken, Vandervest said he felt “extremely disruptive on a plane.”
Abrams added that Amtrak is working with local authorities to transport infected passengers and safely evacuate all other passengers.
“We are deeply saddened to learn that local authorities are now confirming that three people have died as a result of this incident,” he said.
Spokesman Eric Weiss said the National Transportation Safety Board will send a 14-member team, including detectives and specialists in railroad signals and other disciplines, to investigate the accident.
Weiss said five Amtrak vehicles derailed around 3:55 p.m. DST and did not share trains or other equipment. He said the train was running on the BNSF main rail line at the time.
Pictures posted on social media showed several cars on their sides. Passengers were standing by the rails, some carrying luggage.
The pictures showed a sunny sky, and the accident appeared to have occurred along a straight section of the tracks.
Amtrak said that due to the derailment, the Westbound Empire Builder Sunday train will end in Minneapolis, and the Eastbound Empire Builder Sunday will start in Minneapolis.
RAE