One dead, dozens injured as train derails
An Amtrak passenger train with 84 people on board has derailed in rural Mississippi, killing at least one person and injuring dozens.
The derailment, which happened about 25 miles north of Jackson at about 7pm local time, involved nine of the 10 cars of the City of New Orleans train, travelling from New Orleans to Chicago.
“We have one confirmed dead and we’ve got possibly 80 injured,” said Amy Carruth, a spokeswoman for the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency in Jackson. “We understand some of the injured are possibly critical.”
Governor Haley Barbour declared a state of emergency and said rescuers on the scene believed the number of injured could be as high as 90.
Dan Stessel, a spokesman for Amtrak, which provides national train services, said nine cars left the tracks and toppled on to their sides. He said the train’s list showed 72 passengers and 12 crew members.
Carruth said her agency “was sending every resource we can get our hands on out there. … At last report we’ve still got people trapped”.
Besides search teams, portable lights and other equipment were being rushed to the scene, she said. Red Cross staffers were on hand to assist passengers.
Yazoo County sheriff’s dispatcher Mary Whisenton said at least five ambulances had also been sent to the scene.
Stessel said he had no information on what caused the accident.
He said the train made several stops after leaving New Orleans at about 1.55pm, including Jackson. He said the train derailed near the Yazoo-Madison county line, before its scheduled stop in Yazoo City.
