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| Seattle train crash: at least six dead in Amtrak derailment | Seattle train crash: at least six dead in Amtrak derailment |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| An Amtrak train traveling for the first time on a new high-speed route derailed in Washington state on Monday, killing at least six people and sending numerous cars flying off of an overpass on to a busy highway. | An Amtrak train traveling for the first time on a new high-speed route derailed in Washington state on Monday, killing at least six people and sending numerous cars flying off of an overpass on to a busy highway. |
| A US official told the Associated Press that there were many injuries and that the death count was expected to rise. | A US official told the Associated Press that there were many injuries and that the death count was expected to rise. |
| The train was traveling south on a new high-speed rail route that opened on Monday when it derailed just before 8am. After the derailment, one of the train’s carriages was left hanging off an overpass, resting on an overturned train car below. | The train was traveling south on a new high-speed rail route that opened on Monday when it derailed just before 8am. After the derailment, one of the train’s carriages was left hanging off an overpass, resting on an overturned train car below. |
| The Pierce County sheriff’s office said in a tweet that the derailed train had struck several cars on the interstate. “Multiple motorists injured on roadway, no fatalities of motorists reported,” it said. | The Pierce County sheriff’s office said in a tweet that the derailed train had struck several cars on the interstate. “Multiple motorists injured on roadway, no fatalities of motorists reported,” it said. |
| The derailment occurred near Tacoma, roughly 40 miles (64km) south of Seattle. | The derailment occurred near Tacoma, roughly 40 miles (64km) south of Seattle. |
| There were roughly 78 passengers and five crew members on board, Amtrak said in a statement. | There were roughly 78 passengers and five crew members on board, Amtrak said in a statement. |
| A few hours after the crash, Donald Trump cited the crash as a reason to support his infrastructure plan, tweeting: “The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly. Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble! Not for long!” | A few hours after the crash, Donald Trump cited the crash as a reason to support his infrastructure plan, tweeting: “The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly. Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble! Not for long!” |
| Ten minutes later, he tweeted: “Thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved”. | Ten minutes later, he tweeted: “Thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved”. |
| Patricia Freeman, who was on the train when it crashed, said it appeared that her car had hit a tree, which stopped it from tumbling down. | Patricia Freeman, who was on the train when it crashed, said it appeared that her car had hit a tree, which stopped it from tumbling down. |
| “It felt like it was in slow motion,” she told the Guardian after she arrived at a center in DuPont that officials setup for survivors to reunite with loved ones. “I was trying to grab the bottoms of the cable. I felt like a pinball in a pinball machine.” | “It felt like it was in slow motion,” she told the Guardian after she arrived at a center in DuPont that officials setup for survivors to reunite with loved ones. “I was trying to grab the bottoms of the cable. I felt like a pinball in a pinball machine.” |
| Someone broke a window in the car to rescue her and other passengers, she recalled, adding: “Everything was rubble. I’m amazed I’m not rubble.” | Someone broke a window in the car to rescue her and other passengers, she recalled, adding: “Everything was rubble. I’m amazed I’m not rubble.” |
| Freeman, who cut her lip during the crash, had been traveling back home to Portland, Oregon, after visiting family in Washington. | Freeman, who cut her lip during the crash, had been traveling back home to Portland, Oregon, after visiting family in Washington. |
| Aleksander Kristiansen, a 24-year-old passenger from Copenhagen, said he was in the bathroom when the crash occurred, and that he was thrown to the ground. When he stood up, the train was shaking, he said. | |
| “I didn’t believe it happened when it happened,” he said. | “I didn’t believe it happened when it happened,” he said. |
| Kristiansen, who was in Seattle for an exchange program, said his train car stopped on a steep embankment, and that he exited out of the back of the car and helped others out. No one in his car was seriously injured. | Kristiansen, who was in Seattle for an exchange program, said his train car stopped on a steep embankment, and that he exited out of the back of the car and helped others out. No one in his car was seriously injured. |
| Emma Schafer, who was traveling from Seattle to Portland on winter break, said she was napping on the train when the crash happened and that she was able to exit her car by walking onto another car that had fallen onto the highway. | |
| “Have you ever been on a 3D simulator where it shakes you around a pod? It was like that,” she said, describing the aftermath as “mass confusion at a 45-degree angle”. | |
| “It felt like the end of the world, like we’d stepped out of a nuclear bunker amid the wreckage,” she continued, adding that she was still in shock. “It’s hitting me in waves. I’m suppressing some of it. Tonight is probably going to be rough.” | |
| First up close images of scene coming from @wspd1pio Trooper Bova, this is heartbreaking to see. Our thoughts & prayers to everyone involved. pic.twitter.com/ws460sjWRo | First up close images of scene coming from @wspd1pio Trooper Bova, this is heartbreaking to see. Our thoughts & prayers to everyone involved. pic.twitter.com/ws460sjWRo |
| Amtrak said service south of Seattle was temporarily suspended but service north of Seattle would continue to operate. | Amtrak said service south of Seattle was temporarily suspended but service north of Seattle would continue to operate. |
| All southbound lanes of Interstate 5 were closed south of Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Motorists were being warned to avoid the area. | All southbound lanes of Interstate 5 were closed south of Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Motorists were being warned to avoid the area. |
| The cause of the derailment was not immediately clear, and the National Transportation Safety Board announced that it was sending a team to investigate. | The cause of the derailment was not immediately clear, and the National Transportation Safety Board announced that it was sending a team to investigate. |
| The new route, which was constructed to speed up local service, launched Monday “after weeks of inspection and testing”, officials said. The Amtrak Cascades is jointly owned by the states of Washington and Oregon, and Sound Transit, the Seattle transit agency, owns the tracks. | |
| Local politicians had previously expressed concern about plans to introduce the high-speed rail to the region. | Local politicians had previously expressed concern about plans to introduce the high-speed rail to the region. |
| “Come back when there is that accident, and try to justify not putting in those safety enhancements, or you can go back now and advocate for the money to do it, because this project was never needed and endangers our citizens,” Don Anderson, mayor of Lakewood, said earlier this month. | “Come back when there is that accident, and try to justify not putting in those safety enhancements, or you can go back now and advocate for the money to do it, because this project was never needed and endangers our citizens,” Don Anderson, mayor of Lakewood, said earlier this month. |
| Ted Danek, city administrator for DuPont, said officials had done extensive trainings to prepare for a train disaster given the recent increase in trains traveling through the area. | |
| An Amtrak train derailed near Tacoma in July, causing injuries. Officials later blamed the crash on “human error”, saying an engineer had approached a drawbridge going above the 40mph speed limit. | An Amtrak train derailed near Tacoma in July, causing injuries. Officials later blamed the crash on “human error”, saying an engineer had approached a drawbridge going above the 40mph speed limit. |
| In 2015, eight people were killed and more than 200 were injured when an Amtrak derailed just outside of Philadelphia. Authorities determined that an engineer had been driving at twice the speed limit, causing the train to jump the tracks. | In 2015, eight people were killed and more than 200 were injured when an Amtrak derailed just outside of Philadelphia. Authorities determined that an engineer had been driving at twice the speed limit, causing the train to jump the tracks. |
| The Washington state governor, Jay Inslee, visited the scene on Monday and emphasized that the cause of the crash remained unknown. “There are four things we need to do: express compassion for these families, respect first responders, stay off I-5, and suspend judgement. No one knows what happened in this incident.” | |
| The Associated Press contributed reporting | The Associated Press contributed reporting |