Three people are dead and ‘well over’ 50 are injured after Amtrak train carrying 147 passengers from Chicago to Seattle derails in Montana
- Amtrak’s Empire Builder 7/27 derailed near Joplin, Montana around 4pm MST
- Three passengers have died and ‘well over’ 50 people have been injured
- Passengers have been sent to Liberty Community And Senior Center, among other places, and five hospitals are on standby
- Amtrak confirmed that five cars derailed with passengers citing two have completely detached
- There were 147 passengers and 13 crew members on board
Three people are dead and more than 50 are injured after an Amtrak train carrying 147 passengers and 13 crew derailed in Montana on Saturday afternoon.
Five cars on the Amtrak Empire Builder 7/27 train derailed as it carried passengers from Chicago to Seattle, according to the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office. Two train cars reportedly separated and slid down a 30 foot embankment.
Police confirmed that three passenger onboard died as a result of their injuries.
Amanda Frickel, the disaster and emergency services coordinator for Hill County, Montana told The New York Times ‘well over’ 50 people are injured.
She added that six counties sent rescuers and five hospitals are on standby to accept patients. Several helicopters are on standby, as well.
Amtrak’s Empire Builder 7/27 train has reported derailed near Joplin, Montana. Leaving several passengers trapped
Passengers are reporting on Twitter that some are injured, although the severity is not known at this time. Passengers are waiting on buses to pick them up
Crews appear to be using ladders to get on top of the cars in what appears to be an rescue effort. Ambulances and emergency vehicles are on the scene
Passengers said that the derailed cars on the track near Joplin, Montana, have left some passengers trapped inside.
One passenger said she heard a boom and felt the carriage ‘pitching violently side-to-side,’ according to CBS.
Another passenger Megan Vandervest was asleep when the train derailed.
‘My first thought was that we were derailing because, to be honest, I have anxiety and I had heard stories about trains derailing,’ she told The New York Times. ‘My second thought was that’s crazy. We wouldn’t be derailing. Like, that doesn’t happen.’
She described the feeling as ‘extreme turbulence on a plane,’ but was among the lucky ones whose train car stayed on the tracks.
However, the cars behinds hers weren’t. Three cars back, was completely off the track, the one in front of that was toppled over, while the one behind her was tilted, she told the Times.
There were approximately 147 passengers and 13 crew members onboard.
Some passengers are being transported to Liberty Community And Senior Center.
‘We’re going our best,’ the spokesperson from the senior center said.
The train’s derailment is suspected to have happened between the Havre and Shelby stops in Montana, according to KXLY.
It is suspected that the train derailed near the switch at East Buelow. The cause of the derailment is not clear.
At least three cars are derailed and two have separated from the train
One car flipped over. Some of the cars slid down a 30 foot embankment
Crews set up ladders on the side of the cars in what appears to be a rescue effort to safely remove passengers.
One Twitter user Emily Rose reported her boyfriend’s grandfather was on the train that flipped. She cited that he has ‘cuts and bruises’ but ‘is okay.’
A firefighter reported to KXLY said rescue crews are ‘large amounts of people trapped.’
This is a developing story.