There have been a number of deaths after an Amtrak train derailed on an overpass in Washington State, according to a spokesman for the local sheriff's office
The train derailed on a bridge over a major highway in DuPont, Washington - leaving it hanging over the Interstate 5. and blocking all southbound lanes.
The Pierce County Sheriff's Department said it had reports of both injuries and casualties. Among the injured were motorists who had been struck by the derailed cars, none of whom were killed.
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Washington Gov Jay Inslee offered a message of support to first responders and urged commuters to avoid the area.
“This is an ongoing and serious situation,” Mr Inslee said on Twitter.
In an image shared by the Washington State Department of Transportation, a train car can be seen hanging off of the tracks and protruding into the highway. The agency noted that all southbound lanes were blocked and urged commuters to avoid the area.
An Amtrak train traveling for the first time on a new high-speed route derailed in Washington state on Monday, killing several people and sending numerous cars flying 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 . After the derailment, one of the carriages was left hanging off an overpass, resting on an overturned train car below, and 13 out of 14 cars left the track, officials said.
The derailment – which hit at least five vehicles below, but did not kill any motorists – occurred near Tacoma, roughly 40 miles (64km) south of Seattle.
There were 77 passengers and seven crew members on board, Amtrak said. More than 100 people were sent to local hospitals, with more than a dozen suffering critical or serious injuries and some needing surgery, authorities said. Officials did not share any information about the victims’ identities.
A few hours after the crash, Donald Trump cited it as a reason to support his infrastructure plan, tweeting: “The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly. Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble! Not for long!”
Ten minutes later, he tweeted: “Thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved”.
Patricia Freeman, who was on the train when it crashed, said it appeared that her car had hit a tree, which stopped it from tumbling down.
“It felt like it was in slow motion,” she told the Guardian after she arrived at a center in DuPont that officials set up for survivors to reunite with loved ones. “I was trying to grab the bottoms of the table. I felt like a pinball in a pinball machine.”
Someone had broken a window in the car to rescue her and other passengers, she recalled, adding: “Everything was rubble. I’m amazed I’m not rubble.”
Freeman, who cut her lip during the crash, had been traveling back home to Portland, Oregon, after visiting family in Washington.
Aleksander Kristiansen, a 24-year-old passenger from Copenhagen, said he had been in the bathroom when the crash occurred and he had been thrown to the ground. When he stood up, the train was shaking, he said.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Aleksander Kristiansen. Photograph: Daniel Person
“I didn’t believe it happened when it happened,” he said.
Kristiansen, who was in Seattle for an exchange program, said his train car stopped on a steep embankment, and that he exited out of the back of the car and helped others out. No one in his car was seriously injured.
Emma Schafer, who was traveling from Seattle to Portland on winter break, said she was napping on the train when the crash happened and that she was able to exit her car by walking onto another car that had fallen onto the highway.
“Have you ever been on a 3D simulator where it shakes you around a pod? It was like that,” she said, describing the aftermath as “mass confusion at a 45-degree angle”.
“It felt like the end of the world, like we’d stepped out of a nuclear bunker amid the wreckage,” she continued, adding that she was still in shock. “It’s hitting me in waves. I’m suppressing some of it. Tonight is probably going to be rough.”
First responders spent hours searching the train cars, some of which were not safe to enter as they continued to dangle off the overpass.
Pierce Co Sheriff (@PierceSheriff) First up close images of scene coming from @wspd1pio Trooper Bova, this is heartbreaking to see. Our thoughts & prayers to everyone involved. pic.twitter.com/ws460sjWRo
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”, officials said. 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.
Ted Danek, city administrator for DuPont, said officials had done extensive trainings to prepare for a train disaster given the recent increase in trains traveling through the area.
An Amtrak train derailed near Tacoma in July, causing injuries. Officials later blamed the crash on “human error”, saying an engineer had approached a drawbridge going above the 40mph speed limit.
The Washington state governor, Jay Inslee, declared a state of emergency and visited the scene on Monday. He emphasized that the cause of the crash remained unknown.
“There are four things we need to do: express compassion for these families, respect first responders, stay off I-5, and suspend judgement. No one knows what happened in this incident.”
The Associated Press contributed reporting
Photos: Amtrak train derails over interstate Emergency workers respond to an Amtrak train derailment near DuPont, Washington, on Monday, December 15. Several of the train's cars spilled off an Interstate 5 overpass. Hide Caption 1 of 11
Photos: Amtrak train derails over interstate Law enforcement officials work at the scene of the derailment. The passenger train was making the first trip of a new route that goes from Seattle to Portland, Oregon. Hide Caption 2 of 11
Photos: Amtrak train derails over interstate Multiple fatalities have been reported from the crash, and dozens of people were hurt, according to a spokesman for the Pierce County Sheriff's Office. Hide Caption 3 of 11
Photos: Amtrak train derails over interstate Some of the train's wreckage is seen at the crash site. Hide Caption 4 of 11
Photos: Amtrak train derails over interstate An aerial view of the site. Hide Caption 5 of 11
Photos: Amtrak train derails over interstate Some motorists were also injured by the fallen train cars. Hide Caption 6 of 11
Photos: Amtrak train derails over interstate The National Transportation Safety Board was sending a team to investigate the derailment. Hide Caption 7 of 11
Photos: Amtrak train derails over interstate The train had 78 passengers and five crew members aboard. Hide Caption 8 of 11
Photos: Amtrak train derails over interstate First responders work at the scene of the crash. Hide Caption 9 of 11
Photos: Amtrak train derails over interstate All southbound lanes of the interstate were closed due to the derailment. Hide Caption 10 of 11
