Updated on June 28 at 12:50 p.m. Central time
The Associated Press
MENDON, Mo. — A fourth person has died from injuries suffered in an Amtrak train derailment in Missouri, the state highway patrol said Tuesday.
The patrol said the person died at the University of Missouri Health Center. The person’s identity was not released.
The patrol said the fourth fatality was aboard the Southwest Chief train, as were two others who died. The driver of a dump truck that was hit by the train Monday near Mendon, Missouri, also died.
The patrol said law enforcement and Amtrak officials say about 150 people were taken from the scene to 10 area hospitals. Their injuries ranged from minor to serious. Amtrak officials have said about 275 passengers and 12 crew members were aboard the train, which was traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago.
Updated on June 27 at 10:02 p.m. Central time
Jonah Valdez, Grace Toohey, Hayley Smith, Nathan Solis and Richard Winton
Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — Three people were killed and at least 50 others injured when an Amtrak train headed from Los Angeles to Chicago crashed into a dump truck Monday afternoon in Missouri, officials said.
Two of those killed were on the Southwest Chief train, and the other was in the truck, said Cpl. Justin Dunn of the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
At about 12:42 p.m., the train, carrying at least 243 passengers and 12 crew members, struck a dump truck that was obstructing a public crossing southwest of Mendon, Missouri, officials said. The collision derailed eight cars and two locomotives.
The crash took place at an uncontrolled crossing where the BNSF Railway tracks meet a gravel road. The crossing had no electronic signals to warn traffic, which is common for the area, Dunn said.
At least 50 people were injured and there were “multiple fatalities” after the crash, according to Eric McKenzie, director of the Chariton County Ambulance District, which operates near Mendon. He said he was unable to confirm the number of people who had been killed.
Dozens of patients from the crash site began to stream into local hospitals, and some were airlifted in critical condition, officials said.
At least three people were transported to University Hospital in Columbia, said Eric Maze, a spokesperson with the University of Missouri Health Care system. University of Missouri Health Care said over social media that it was caring for nine patients from the derailment.
Ben Cornelius, a spokesman for Boone Hospital in Columbia, said in an email the facility is expecting 30 patients in the next 30 to 90 minutes.
Mendon is about 84 miles northeast of Kansas City.
Photos shared on social media showed multiple overturned train cars and passengers climbing out of windows.
Among them was Dax McDonald, who boarded the Southwest Chief train in Flagstaff, Arizona. Near Mendon, he was looking out the right side of the train and saw a large dump truck moving through a cloud of dust.
He recalled the train continuing to travel at a fast speed
“Then a large bang happened and the train lurched forward,” McDonald said. “Next it began tilting toward the right side before violently slamming to the ground.”
Video he posted to Twitter showed the inside of the train on its side with disheveled passengers sifting through their toppled luggage.
One passenger posted a Facebook Live video moments after climbing out from the toppled passenger car.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said in a tweet that he was “saddened” to hear of the derailment. He said the Missouri State Highway Patrol and other emergency personnel were responding.
“We ask Missourians to join us in praying for all those impacted,” Parson said.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., called it “terrible news” and said officials were “ready to assist with any federal resources that may be needed.”
“We are thinking of all those affected and grateful for our first responders,” he said.
The Southwest Chief travels between Chicago and Los Angeles with stops in Kansas City, Albuquerque and Flagstaff, according to Amtrak.
The crash came one day after another Amtrak train collided with a car in California’s East Bay, killing at least three people. In that instance, there were 85 people onboard; the train was traveling from Stockton to Martinez when the collision occurred. There were no reported injuries among the train passengers and crew, officials said.
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©2022 Los Angeles Times
https://twitter.com/JTOYOSHIBA/status/1541584001344966657
Updated on June 27 at 5:43 p.m. Central time
Summer Ballentine
Associated Press
MENDON, Mo. — Three people were killed and several others were injured Monday when a passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago struck a dump truck and derailed in a remote, rural area of Missouri, officials said.
Two of the people who died were on the train and one was in the truck, Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Cpl. Justin Dunn said. It was not immediately clear exactly how many people were hurt, the patrol said. Several hospitals said they had received patients and were expecting more.
The Southwest Chief was carrying about 243 passengers and 12 crew members when the collision happened near Mendon, Amtrak said. The Highway Patrol said seven cars derailed.
The collision occurred at a rural intersection on a gravel road with no crossing arms, Dunn said. A 911 call about the collision came in at 12:43 p.m. and the first emergency responders arrived within 20 minutes, he said.
Helicopter video of the site from KMBC-TV in Kansas City showed rail cars on their side as emergency responders used ladders to climb into one of them. Six medical helicopters parked nearby were waiting to transport patients.
Close to 20 local and state law enforcement agencies, ambulance services, fire department and medical hopitical services responded, Dunn said.
Passengers on the train included 16 youths and eight adults from two Boy Scout troops who were traveling home to Appleton, Wisconsin, after a backcountry excursion at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, but no one in the group was seriously injured, said Scott Armstrong, director of national media relations for the Boy Scouts of America. The Scouts administered first aid to several injured passengers, including the driver of the dump truck, Armstrong said.
High school students from Pleasant Ridge High School in Easton, Kansas, who were headed to a Future Business Leaders of America conference in Chicago, were also aboard, Superintendent Tim Beying told The Star.
The Southwest Chief takes about two days to travel from Los Angeles to Chicago. Mendon, with a population of about 160, is about 84 miles (135 kilometers) northeast of Kansas City.
Updated on June 27 @ 4:48 p.m.
By EMS1 Staff
MENDON, Mo. — Multiple fatalities and reports of at least 50 people injured after an Amtrak train carrying 243 passengers struck a dump truck at a crossing, according to Eric McKenzie, the superintendent with Chariton County Ambulance Service, ABC 17 KMIZ reported.
Three patients were reportedly transported to University Hospital, a Missouri University Health Care spokesperson said.
Multiple first responder agencies are on site.
“We are saddened to hear of the Amtrak train derailment in Chariton County this afternoon. @MoPublicSafety, @MSHP troopers, and other emergency management personnel are responding. We ask Missourians to join us in praying for all those impacted,” Missouri Gov. Mike Parsons wrote in a tweet.
Updated on June 27 at 3:36 p.m.
By Associated Press
MENDON, Mo. — A passenger train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago derailed in Missouri on Monday afternoon and initial reports indicate that some people aboard were injured, Amtrak said.
The Southwest Chief was carrying about 243 passengers when it collided with a dump truck near Mendon at 1:42 p.m., Amtrak spokeswoman Kimberly Woods said.
Social media posts from the scene show several rail cars on their sides.
Three passengers were being taken from the scene to University Hospital in Columbia, hospital spokesman Eric Maze said. He did not have information on their conditions.
The Missouri Highway Patrol and other local law enforcement units were at the scene to help and Amtrak said it has deployed resources to the site.
Mendon, with a population of about 160, is about 84 miles (135 kilometers) northeast of Kansas City.
Original reporting:
Robert A. Cronkleton
The Kansas City Star
KANSAS CITY — Several cars of an Amtrak’s Southwest Chief Train 4 traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago derailed Monday afternoon after it struck a dump truck at a crossing northeast of Kansas City, Amtrak announced.
Approximately 243 passengers were onboard the train at the time of the crash, which occurred about 1:40 p.m. near Mendon, Missouri, the company said. Injuries were reported.
Local authorities were assisting travelers and Amtrak was deploying resources to help as well.
One person who said they were on the train posted photos on social media. “The train I was traveling on derailed on the way to Iowa near Mendon Missouri,” wrote the person, identified as Dax McDonald.
https://twitter.com/cloudmarooned/status/1541496621921361920?s=20&t=4sWmfDcuTKjRAQk2TIY46w
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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