This is a developing story and may be updated.
An Amtrak train derailed Monday shortly before 8am local time near Tacoma, Wash., causing scores of injuries and potential deaths.
The incident caused train cars to dangle from an overpass onto an interstate below. Local officials say 13 cars derailed and that 5 motor vehicles and two semis were hit on the road below.
The Associated Press, citing an unnamed official, reports that at least six people were killed. The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, however, has not yet released official figures on injuries or deaths.
The latest statement from Amtrak says there were approximately 78 passengers and five crew members on board, and that injuries were sustained by both passengers and crew, who were taken to local medical facilities. Nearly all on the train, 77 people, were taken to area hospitals, CBS reports, citing information from CHI Franciscan health.
“When we got to the scene it was obvious that there were some fatalities, and there were a lot of injuries. Some people were able to get off the train,” Pierce County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Ed Troyer told told reporters. “On the other side of that bridge there’s three or four more cars that are upside down on the road and in the woods.”
The Cascades Train 501 was heading southbound from Seattle to Portland when the derailment over I-5 occurred. According to USA Today, it was on its inaugural run. NBC News reports:
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