Amtrak Train Derails After Hitting Dump Trunk in Missouri
Screenshot: FOX 3 Now via YouTube
A number of people have been injured after an Amtrak train derailed in Missouri.
Southwest Chief Train 4 struck a dump truck at a “public crossing” in the city of Mendon, Missouri around 12:42 p.m. central time, according to officials. On board the train were 243 passengers and 12 crew members when the incident happened, according to a release from Amtrak.
The exact amount of injuries has not been released.
All in all, Amtrak says eight cars and two locomotives came off the tracks. It’s not immediately clear if that is the entire train, but judging by video from the scene, it’s a safe bet to say the whole thing went over.
“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,” the release goes on to read.
G/O Media may get a commission
Save 46%
Fire TV 55″ Omni Series 4K UHD Smart TV
Alexa-enabled
The Omni Series are all produced 4K UHD picture quality and are equipped with the same interface you may be used to on a Fire TV Stick. That means they are also Alexa enabled so no need to type in your favorite movies and shows. Just hold the remote button and ask Alexa.
The train originally departed from Los Angeles en route to Chicago and went off the rails in the small town of Mendon about 100 miles northeast of Kansas City. Mendon has a population of about 162 people.
No other information was available from Amtrak at the time of publication.
One Twitter user, Dax McDonald, says passengers on board were bussed to a local high school.
According to CNN, Chillicothe Fire Department Chief Eric Reeter confirmed the derailment and said they are on standby.
This is the second Amtrak collision in just two days. On Sunday, 85 people were on board a train in rural California that hit another vehicle. In that accident, three people were killed and two others suffered major injuries. CNN reports all of the victims were in the vehicle that was hit by the train.
This is a developing story. We will bring you updates as they come.
