[WATCH] Seattle train derailment: several dead

At least six people died and 'the number of fatalities could rise', said a US official

The lead engine and wreckage of an Amtrak train sit in the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 after the Monday morning derailment south of Dupont (Photo: The Seattle Times)
The lead engine and wreckage of an Amtrak train sit in the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 after the Monday morning derailment south of Dupont (Photo: The Seattle Times)

 

An Amtrak train traveling for the first time on a new high-speed route derailed in Washington state on Monday, killing several people and catapulting multiple cars off an overpass on to a busy highway.

A US official told the Associated Press earlier in the day that at least six people died and that the number of fatalities could rise, though state officials only confirmed three deaths in an afternoon briefing.

The train was traveling south on a new high-speed rail route that had opened on Monday when it derailed around 7:30am. 
According to officials, after the derailment, a carriage was left hanging over an overpass, resting on an overturned train car below. 13 out of 14 cars left the track.

The derailment hit at least vehicles below it and took place near Tacoma, roughly 40 miles south of Seattle.

There were 77 passengers and seven crew members on board, according to Amtrack. Over 100 people were sent to local hospitals, with more than a dozen being treated from serious injuries. 

Officials did not share any details about the victims’ identities.

A few hours following the crash, US president Donald Trump cited it as a reason to support his infrastructure plan:

He followed that tweet with a tweet of condolences:

First responders spent hours searching the train cars, some of which were not safe to enter as they were dangling over the overpass.

Amtrak said service south of Seattle was temporarily suspended but service north of Seattle would continue to operate.

The cause of the derailment was not immediately clear, and the National Transportation Safety Board announced that it was sending a team to investigate. An Amtrak official said authorities would consider the speed of the train and whether there were any possible obstructions on the track.

The new route, which was constructed to speed up local service, launched Monday “after weeks of inspection and testing”, said officials.

The Amtrak Cascades is jointly owned by the states of Washington and Oregon, and Sound Transit, the Seattle transit agency, owns the tracks.

Local politicians had previously expressed concern about plans to introduce the high-speed rail to the region.

“Come back when there is that accident, and try to justify not putting in those safety enhancements, or you can go back now and advocate for the money to do it, because this project was never needed and endangers our citizens,” Don Anderson, mayor of Lakewood, said earlier this month.