Amtrak train derails in Montana, killing three and injuring dozens

Monday, September 27, 2021

At least three people have been killed and 50 others hurt after a train came off the tracks in the state of Montana.

Several carriages from the Amtrak Empire Builder passenger service derailed at about 16:00 local time (22:00 GMT)  near the town of Joplin.

Images on social media show train cars on their sides and luggage was strewn on the ground with people standing nearby.

Amtrak said there were some 141 passengers and 16 crew aboard the Chicago to Seattle service and rescuers have been working to evacuate passengers.

Passenger Megan Vandervest, who was heading to see a friend in Seattle, told that she was woken up by the derailment, which felt like “extreme turbulence on a plane.”

Wayne Freed said that he was in the lounge car, one of those that flipped on its side, but was able to grab hold of a coffee table bolted to the floor.

In a tweet, state Senator Steve Daines said he was closely monitoring this situation.

The US National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into the incident.

Through derailments of Amtrak trains are rare there have been several in recent years.

In 2018, three people were killed when an Amtrak train travelled on to the wrong track and hit a parked freight train.

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