Steph Deschamps / September 26, 2021
At least three people were killed and several others injured when a train derailed in the U.S. state of Montana on Saturday, the Amtrak railroad announced.
Eight of the train's 10 cars derailed around 4 p.m. local time near Joplin, a small town near the border with Canada in northern Montana, according to the company. It said about 141 passengers and 16 crew members were on board the train, which runs from Seattle to Chicago. We are deeply saddened to learn that local authorities are now confirming the deaths of three people as a result of this accident, the company said, also reporting several injuries among passengers and crew.
Amtrak said it has dispatched crews to the scene who are working with local authorities to transport injured passengers and safely evacuate all other passengers.
Video footage posted on social media and carried by local media showed people waiting near the tracks, luggage strewn beside them, looking at cars with at least one overturned on its side. Montana Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Amanda Frickel told the New York Times that more than 50 people were injured. All of the people alive were pulled from the carcass of the train, she added.