The latest:
Officials are telling local media that multiple people have been killed in the Amtrak train derailment in Washington. Many people were also injured in the accident, including some of those who were in vehicles driving underneath the overpass when the train careened over the edge. Local media are reporting that none of the drivers in any of the vehicles were killed, so all of the fatalities were people who were riding on the train.
Emergency personnel brought buses in, presumably to transport drivers and passengers who weren’t injured away from the scene of the derailment. Multiple agencies responded to the scene. Family members who are concerned about loved ones who may have been on the affected train are being advised not to go to the scene. Officials are setting up a reunification center at DuPont City Hall, local media are reporting.
This was the first day the Amtrak Cascades high-speed train was running on this new route.
Earlier:
Officials are telling local media outlets that there are multiple casualties in the derailment, but it’s still too early to know how many people were killed and the extent of the injuries. The Amtrak train derailment is affecting Train 501, the Cascades service from Seattle Portland. Dramatic photos posted on Twitter by a Washington State Police trooper (shown at the bottom of this post) appear to show one train car upside down underneath the overpass on I-5 at Mounts Road. A second car is dangling off the overpass, but it appears to be partially resting on the underside of the car that landed upside-down underneath the overpass.
Photos and videos from the scene of the Amtrak train derailment in Washington State are pouring in via Twitter. The Washington State Department of Transportation tweeted this image from its traffic camera on I-5 in Pierce County:
First report:
An Amtrak passenger train has derailed in Washington state outside of Seattle, and first responders are telling the media that there are multiple fatalities and injuries. The Washington Amtrak train derailment reportedly left one car dangling off an overpass on Interstate 5 close to Mounts Road in Pierce County.
The high-speed train was southbound with at least 75 people onboard, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Transportation is telling media outlets. All southbound lanes of I-5 are shut down due to the Amtrak train derailment, and WSDOT Tacoma tweeted that they are turning around all vehicles stuck in the resulting traffic snarl. Washington State Police say that two northbound lanes are open on I-5.
Washington State Trooper Brooke Bova tweeted these photos from the scene of the Amtrak train derailment:
WSP diverting traffic at DuPont. WSP aiding withbroad closure & getting assistance to scene. pic.twitter.com/fRw4uGNIVv
— Trooper Robert Reyer (@wspd1pio) December 18, 2017
