The death toll from the Amtrak train derailment in Missouri on June 27 after slamming into a dump truck has risen to four people. Two adult sisters from Kansas are among the victims. The NY Posts reports the sisters, who have not been named, were traveling with their mother. It’s unclear if the mother was injured at this time.
Authorities on the scene confirmed the driver of the dump truck and another train passenger were also killed
The train, traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago, was carrying 275 passengers and at least a dozen crew members. While the victims’ names are not public just yet, the Missouri State Patrol says about 150 passengers were taken to 10 area hospitals.
The Missouri State High Patrol says doctors are treating injuries ranging from “minor to serious in nature.”
Authorities Investigate Cause of Fatal Derailment
The Amtrak train derailed in Mendon, Missouri, just 100 miles northeast of Kansas City, at 12;42 p.m.
Eight cars and two locomotives derailed, and most of the cars flipped on their sides when the train struck the dump truck.
“Everyone in the train car that we were in got flung everywhere,” Samantha McDonald, 21, told The NY Times in a phone interview from the hospital.
McDonald, who was traveling with her brother, is being monitored after striking her head against the overhead compartment.
The siblings said to escape, people had to climb the seats and overhead compartments.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the cause of the crash. What we know at this time is the incident happened at an “uncontrolled crossing.” This means there are lights or barriers to warn people a train is approaching. Jennifer Homendy, the chairwoman of the NTSB, says there is a stop sign at the crossing.
Unfortunately, this incident happened one day after another fatal Amtrak crash in Northern Califonia. The Amtrak train crashed into a four-door sedan at an uncontrolled crossing in East Bay. Three people died, and two others, including a child, were critically injured.
This story is developing.