Amtrak derailment in Tacoma, Washington, leaves 6 dead and more than 70 injured.

@wsdot_tacoma/Twitter

Amtrak derailment leaves 6 dead, more than 70 injured in Washington state

More than 70 people have been sent to the hospital.

 

Kris Seavers

IRL

Posted on Dec 18, 2017   Updated on May 22, 2021, 7:38 am CDT

An Amtrak train derailed on an overpass near Tacoma, Washington, early Monday morning, KIRO 7 reported. AP News reported as of press time that at least six train passengers died and more than 70 people were sent to the hospital.

KIRO 7 posted close-up photos of the derailment to Twitter, showing the two train cars that were left dangling on the highway below the overpass. There were reportedly 78 passengers and five crew members on board the train when it wrecked.

The Washington Department of Transportation first reported the derailment with a tweet at 9:45am CT on Monday. The department said all southbound lanes on Interstate 5 in Pierce County were closed “for an extended period of time” and advised motorists to avoid the area. 

CBS News reported the Amtrak train No. 501 had “fairly new train cars… engineered to be crash resistant.” The cause of the derailment is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

One Twitter user had snapped photos of the train as it was leaving the station Monday morning.

A passenger aboard the train, Chris Karnes, told CBS News that the moments before the wreck, “it felt like we were heading down a hill.”

“The next thing we know, we’re being slammed into the front of our seats, windows are breaking, we stop, and there’s water gushing out of the train,” Karnes said. “People were screaming.”

President Donald Trump tweeted that the accident “shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly.” He also offered thoughts and prayers to the victims.

Follow KIRO 7 on Twitter for live updates.

H/T CBS News

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*First Published: Dec 18, 2017, 1:19 pm CST