NTSB Investigating Deadly Amtrak Derailment
An Amtrak train traveling from Chicago to the Pacific Northwest derailed in a remote part of Montana on Saturday afternoon, killing three people and hospitalizing five others, authorities said.
Eight cars from Amtrak’s Empire Builder train 7/27 headed westbound to Seattle/Portland derailed at about 4 p.m. near Joplin, Montana, a town around 30 miles south of the Canadian border with a population of about 150 people, Amtrak said.
The train consisted of two locomotives and 10 cars and there were about 141 passengers and 16 crew members on board, Amtrak said in an additional statement Sunday, clarifying previous figures provided.
“We are deeply saddened to learn local authorities are now confirming that three people have lost their lives as a result of this accident. There are also reported injuries among the passengers and crew members travelling on the train. Amtrak is working with the local authorities to transport those who were injured to medical care, and to safely evacuate everyone else at the scene,” said the statement.
The injured people are being treated at Benefis Hospital in Great Falls, while others who were injured have been treated and released from a variety of local hospitals, said Sarah Robbin, the disaster and emergency services coordinator for Liberty County.
Amtrak has activated an Incident Response Team and “are sending emergency personnel and Amtrak leadership to the scene to help support our passengers, our employees and their families with their needs,” the statement said.
Source: CNN
