An Amtrak train derailed in Washington State on Monday morning, killing multiple people and injuring dozens.
A U.S. official said that at least six people had been killed.
Pierce County spokesman Ed Troyer said that “the casualties include multiple injuries and fatalities.” CNN reported that 77 people had been taken to the hospital, four with the most severe level of injury.
NBC reported that 78 people and five crew members were onboard the train when it came off its track around 7:40 on Monday morning, striking several cars. One train car was left dangling off a bridge, and another was flipped over on the road below.
“At a certain point the train started to wobble a little bit and the next thing that we knew we were down in a ditch,” passenger Chris Karnes told NBC. “The train had crumpled.”
The accident happened between Olympia and Tacoma on the first morning of a new Amtrak route between Seattle and Portland, intended to reduce travel time between the two cities. The route uses tracks that run along Interstate 5, which are owned by a local commuter line.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what went wrong.
On Monday afternoon, President Trump used the tragedy to push his infrastructure plan, though it would actually drastically cut train funding.
Later, he got around to acknowledging that people’s lives were lost.
