Washington, Dec. 18 (TNS): Train carriages have plummeted on to a motorway in Washington state, causing “multiple” fatalities, police say here on Monday.
The train derailed and the carriages fell on to the I-5 highway below.
Images from the scene show emergency services treating people on the ground. It appears that at least four carriages have left the track; one of them is upside down on the highway.
Several cars on the highway were struck by the derailed carriages, the Pierce County Sheriff’s department says.
Sheriff department spokesman Ed Troyer said that there were “multiple” fatalities on the train, but no motorists had been killed.
The fire department had taken many people out of the train and they had been taken to hospitals, he added.
Passenger Chris Karnes, on board the train, said the carriage he was on careened down an embankment came to a stop: “We could hear and feel the cars crumpling and breaking apart, and water came out from the ceiling.”
“In order to get out… we had to kick out the emergency window,” he said.
Amtrak said that there were approximately 78 passengers and five crew members on board the train,
The incident happened near DuPont, which is southwest of Tacoma.
Officials have set up a family reunification centre at DuPont city hall, and asked people not to come to the scene of the crash.
