Three people died Monday, June 27, in a collision between a dump truck and a train, which then derailed, near a intersection of a road and a railway track in Missouri , announced the authorities of this state in the center of the United States.
“There are multiple injuries and we can confirm that there were three fatalities, two on the train and one in the dump truck”, said Justin Dunn, spokesman for the Missouri State Highway Patrol, during a press conference. Seven of the train’s eight cars derailed.
More than 200 passengers, as well as employees of the Amtrak railway company, were on board. The crossing had no lights marking the way or electronic control device, according to local authorities. The investigation into the circumstances of this accident is “in its preliminary stage”clarified Justin Dunn, promising more information to come.
“Like in slow motion”
Impressive photographs posted on social media by travelers showed many wagons lying on the side of the track, passengers escaping from the side windows, in the middle of an agricultural area.
Train passenger Robert Nightingale told CNN it happened. “like in slow motion”. The train first “pitched”then “wobbly”, “and then all of a sudden, all this dust was flying through my window”, he explained. Stuck in his car, he said he had to climb in order to get out on the side of the train.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), a federal agency, has announced that it has opened an investigation. On Sunday, another Amtrak-operated train crashed into a car at a level crossing without automatic gates in California, killing three of the vehicle’s passengers, according to NBC.