Two dead after Amtrak, freight collision in South Carolina

An Amtrak train traveling from New York to Miami collided with a CSX freight train in South Carolina early Sunday morning, causing the lead engine and some passenger cars to derail.

The local sheriff’s office confirmed there were at least two people killed and 70 injured among the 139 passengers and 8 crew.

Local authorities were responding to the scene.

The local Red Cross said its trained volunteers and staff were also responding.

In a statement, a CSX spokesperson confirmed that “at approximately 2:30 a.m., an incident involving a CSX train and an Amtrak train occurred in Cayce, SC near Dixiana Road and S.R. 26.”

“Reports of injuries have been confirmed. An emergency response plan has been activated to provide full support. Lexington County authorities have been notified and are responding to the incident. Additional information will be made available as details of the incident are confirmed.”

The National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, said it was sending a team to the site of the crash.

It was the second major Amtrak incident in less than a week. On Wednesday, a train carrying Republican members of Congress to a retreat in West Virginia collided with a garbage truck. One person on the truck was killed.