Three people have been killed and at least 50 injured when an Amtrak train carrying 243 people derailed after hitting a dump truck in Kansas City, Missouri on Monday.
Lt Eric Brown of the Missouri State Highway Patrol said in a press conference that at least three people had died, two of whom were on the train and one of whom was in the truck.
The Southwest Chief Train 4 was on its way from Los Angeles to Chicago when it struck a dump truck. The force of the accident caused the train to derail in the town of Mendon around 1:42pm on Monday, according to Amtrak.
Photos emerged of the crash showing passengers crawling out of windows and lining the side of the tracks while waiting to be recovered.
“There are approximately 243 passengers on board with early reports of injuries,” company officials said. “Local authorities are currently assisting customers and we have deployed Amtrak resources to assist.”
The incident is the second in two days for Amtrak trains. On Sunday, three people were killed and two other suffered severe injuries after a train carrying 85 passengers his a vehicle in rural California. All of the people who were killed were in the vehicle that was hit by the train.
Dax McDonald, a software developer who was a passenger on the train, posted these photos from the crash site.
In one of them, a huge pair of wheels on their axle – seemingly from the dump truck, since they have tires – lies twisted on the tracks.
The train I was traveling on derailed on the way to Iowa near Mendon Missouri pic.twitter.com/YndSEEXkto
— Dax McDonald (@cloudmarooned) June 27, 2022
Missouri State Highway Patrol said there were no lights on the uncontrolled crossing where the collision happened, but this is commonplace on rural crossings.
Eight helicopters are taking people from the scene due to its remote location. It took first responders 20 minutes to arrive, police said.
Helicopter video from the scene showed train carriages on their side as emergency responders used ladders to climb into one of them. Medical helicopters were seen parked nearby waiting to transport patients.
Three passengers were taken to University Hospital in Columbia, hospital spokesperson Eric Maze said. He did not have information on their conditions.
Passengers on the train included high school students from Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kansas, who were headed to a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Chicago, Superintendent Tim Beying told The Kansas City Star.
The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago. Mendon, with a population of about 160, is about 84 miles (135 kilometers) northeast of Kansas City.
‘It all happened like slow motion’
A local ambulance official has confirmed that there are multiple fatalities, according to CNN.
Chariton County Ambulance Service superintendent Eric McKenzie told the news outlet that more than one person was dead and at least 50 were injured.
Robert Nightingale, a passenger from New Mexico who was napping in one of the train’s sleeper cars, said: “It all happened like slow motion. It started to rock and, and rock, and then flicker, and then it just all of a sudden – all this dust was through my window.”
The window had slammed into the ground, meaning he could not get out that way. Instead he grabbed his backpack and climbed upwards into the corridor, eventually clambering out onto the side of the train, which was now pointing skyward.
Amtrak issues statement
Here’s the latest statement from Amtrak:
”On June 27 at 12:42 p.m. CT, Southwest Chief Train 4, traveling eastbound on BNSF track from Los Angeles to Chicago, derailed 8 cars and 2 locomotives after striking a truck that was obstructing a public crossing near Mendon, Missouri.
“There were approximately 243 passengers and 12 crew members onboard with early reports of injuries. Local authorities are currently assisting customers.
“Our Incident Response Team has been activated, and we are deploying emergency personnel to the scene to help support our passengers, our employees and their families with their needs.
“Individuals with questions about their friends and family who were traveling aboard this train should call 800-523-9101. Additional details will be provided as available. “
Footage shows flipped train that derailed near Kansas City, Missouri
KAKE News shared footage from the site where an Amtrak train derailed after striking a dump truck. The train was traveling between Los Anegeles and Chicago when it hit the truck and toppled off of the rails.
BREAKING: An #Amtrak train has derailed after hitting a dump truck near Mendon in central Missouri. Amtrak says there were around 243 passengers onboard with “early reports of injuries.”
— KAKE News (@KAKEnews) June 27, 2022
Video from Rob Nightingale#KAKEnews pic.twitter.com/rB9QP98mkh
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